{"id":186499,"date":"2025-08-30T05:29:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-30T05:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/186499\/"},"modified":"2025-08-30T05:29:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T05:29:09","slug":"ca-gig-workers-could-soon-unionize-if-bill-passes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/186499\/","title":{"rendered":"CA gig workers could soon unionize if bill passes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two major bills backed by Governor Newsom could reshape rights and costs for more than 800,000 app-based drivers.<\/p>\n

SAN DIEGO \u2014 Big changes may be on the way for California\u2019s gig workers, as two major legislative proposals gain momentum in Sacramento. The bills, AB 1340<\/strong> and SB 371,\u00a0<\/strong>could grant new rights to hundreds of thousands of app-based drivers across the state, including the right to unionize and relief from rising insurance costs.<\/p>\n


\nAB 1340: A Push for Union Rights<\/strong> <\/p>\n

Backed by Governor Gavin Newsom, AB 1340<\/strong> would give ride share and delivery drivers the right to collectively bargain<\/strong><\/a> for wages, benefits, and working conditions\u2014despite being classified as independent contractors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is groundbreaking,\u201d said Annie Ellis, an employment attorney based in San Diego<\/a>. \u201cThese are gig workers. They\u2019re 1099 independent contractors, which means they don\u2019t have employee rights, and you have to be an employee in order to unionize.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what makes the bill so significant. If passed, it would mark the largest expansion of collective bargaining in the private sector in California\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

AB 1340 also represents a major shift from Proposition 22<\/strong>, passed by voters in 2020, which created a unique hybrid classification for gig workers. While it offered limited benefits, it did not grant full employee protections.<\/p>\n

Since then, Ellis says many drivers have been left without a clear path for resolving complaints.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho do I complain to? There\u2019s no state enforcement agency for independent contractors. I can\u2019t call HR, I\u2019m not an employee,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

While some gig workers welcome the change, others are hesitant. For those who value flexibility and independence, unionizing may feel like a step in the wrong direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome are saying, \u2018I\u2019m an independent contractor. A union is not what I signed up for because that is going to mean I have to comply with certain rules, and I don\u2019t want to do that,\u2019\u201d Ellis noted.<\/p>\n


\nSB 371: Tackling High Insurance Costs<\/strong> <\/p>\n

A second bill, SB 371<\/strong>, is designed to tackle another major issue regarding the soaring cost of insurance for gig drivers. The measure, supported by both Uber and Lyft, aims to bring down expenses that have become a financial burden for many workers.<\/p>\n

While the bills are designed to benefit workers, Ellis points out that riders could also feel the impact, especially when it comes to cost.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnytime you hike up terms and conditions and wages and benefits, and you put all these rules in place, the Brian Whites and Annie Ellises of the world are going to be paying for that,\u201d she said. \u201cRight now, a rideshare in California is the most expensive in the country. This is just going to make that higher.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both AB 1340<\/strong> and SB 371<\/strong> are still working their way through the state legislature and may be subject to amendments. If passed, they could usher in the most significant labor reforms for gig workers in California\u2019s history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two major bills backed by Governor Newsom could reshape rights and costs for more than 800,000 app-based drivers.…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":186500,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[64,420,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-186499","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jobs","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-jobs","10":"tag-united-states","11":"tag-unitedstates","12":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115116072303862795","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=186499"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186499\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/186500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=186499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=186499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=186499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}