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Washington\u2019s Senate unanimously passed a bill this week that would make the state the first in the nation to grant ride-hail drivers the right to paid family and medical leave.<\/p>\n
The bill, HB 1570<\/a>, builds on driver rights won in 2022\u2019s Expand Fairness Act, which set a high statewide wage floor for drivers and established a right to protections against unjustified deactivation, worker\u2019s compensation insurance and paid sick time.<\/p>\n The win in Washington comes a month after drivers in California were dealt a blow when the state\u00a0upheld Proposition 22<\/a>, the ballot measure passed in November 2020 that classified Uber and Lyft drivers as independent contractors rather than employees. A lower court had previously ruled Prop 22 unconstitutional.<\/p>\n Washington\u2019s ruling could have ripple effects in other states fighting to grant gig workers employment benefits.<\/p>\n \u201cToday is a landmark in the fight for worker rights nationwide\u201d said Peter Kuel, president of Drivers Union, an association of ride-hail drivers, in a statement. Kuel started driving for Uber<\/span> and Lyft in 2014. \u201cIn the State of Washington, drivers must no longer choose between caring for unwell loved ones and putting food on the table. This victory is a demonstration of what drivers can achieve when they organize together to fight for the rights that every worker deserves.\u201d<\/p>\n The bill will head to Governor Jay Inslee\u2019s desk to be signed into law.\u00a0Access to the program is expected to come online for drivers in July 2024. It\u2019ll grant ride-hail drivers access to the same program as other workers in the state, which offers up to 12 weeks of paid leave if a serious health condition prevents them from working or if they need to take time off to care for a family member or a new child.<\/p>\n The cost of a driver\u2019s premiums for the program will be fully paid by the app-based companies, like Uber and Lyft, for which the driver works, according to the union.\u00a0 It\u2019s not clear how the ride-hail companies intend to fund the program or whether they\u2019ll increase rider fares in Washington to compensate.<\/p>\n Washington has more than 30,000 Uber and Lyft drivers, most of whom are immigrants and people of color, according to a 2022 study<\/a>. The report also found that about a third of drivers and their families rely on food stamps in King County, with a quarter living in federal poverty.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is another historic win for drivers in Washington state and is a continuation of the progress made last year with the passage of HB 2076<\/a>, first-in-the-nation legislation to provide drivers in Washington with numerous benefits,\u201d said Lyft in a statement. \u201cHB 1570 would add paid family medical leave and unemployment insurance benefits to that list. These new benefits and protections are the result of legislators, app-based companies, and labor organizations listening to drivers and working together.<\/p>\n Uber did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n