Uber, Lyft warn they'll take the fight over workplace rules to California voters
In the face of a looming deadline, Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. are throwing new weight and tens of millions of dollars behind their fight to keep treating drivers as independent contractors in California.
The ride-hailing companies said Thursday they will commit $60 million to fund a statewide initiative aimed at the 2020 ballot to create an alternate classification for drivers that would include some employee protections and a guaranteed minimum pay. Later, delivery service DoorDash said it would commit an additional $30 million.
The money would be more than enough to qualify an initiative and mount a substantial campaign in fall 2020.
The announcement comes a day after Tony West, Uber's chief legal officer, and Lyft President John Zimmer met with Gov. Gavin Newsom and his chief of staff, Ann O'Leary, to discuss Assembly Bill 5. That bill, written by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, would codify
