Lardiere McNair & Stonebrook, Ltd.
Need a Lyft? Employment Laws affecting New Age Travel Companies
LARDIEREMCNAIR
March 17, 2015

Peer-to-peer transportation services have changed the landscape for traditional taxi drivers, and now employment laws are going to affect the future of the industry. Uber is available in 53 countries and more than 200 cities worldwide, including the City of Columbus, and was founded in 2009. A rival company, Lyft, was founded in 2012 and was also previously available in Columbus.   In January of 2015, Lyft left the Columbus market because of the Columbus City Council making changes to the Business Regulation and Licensing Code. But now, legal questions regarding peer-to-peer transportation and potential changes to the industry are going to the national stage.

Peer-to-peer transportation relies on the classification of drivers as “independent contractors” rather than “employees”. If the drivers can remain independent contractors, Uber and Lyft need not pay them a salary, benefits, provide insurance, gasoline reimbursements, Social Security, unemployment insurance, and workers’ compensation. However, if drivers are found to be employees, then the companies may have to provide some, or all, or the above. On one hand, the classification as an employee could be good for the drivers, as they are likely to make more overall money. On the other, the industry thrives on their low transportation fares, and this change would likely increase the rates for consumers. This classification will have far reaching implications for the peer-to-peer transportation industry.

Uber and Lyft are both currently involved in class action lawsuits to determine whether their drivers are independent contractors or employees. On Wednesday March 11, United States District Judges Vince Chhabria and Edward Chen ruled that juries must decide how Uber and Lyft will be classified. Our firm will be closely watching the outcome of these cases to see if there are changes or clarifications in employment law for classifications of independent contractors and employees.

This status of workers is important to consider for all business. Lardiere McNair LLC has a practice in which advises and assists both employers and employees with their employment concerns. If you have any questions about the above, or independent contractor/employee status, please contact an attorney.

Chad Stonebrook is an Associate Attorney at Lardiere McNair LLC.  To read more about Chad, please visit http://www.lmcounsel.com/chads-bio.html.

Disclaimer

The information presented here  has been prepared by Lardiere McNair for promotional and informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice.  This information is not intended to provide, and receipt of it does not constitute, legal advice.  Nor does the receipt of this material create an attorney/client relationship.  An attorney client relationship is not established until such time as Lardiere McNair enters in to a written engagement agreement with a specific client for a specific legal matter.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Free Consultation

Law is a complicated matter. It can cause you a big problem if you ignore it. Let us help you!

"*" indicates required fields

Notice: If you send e-mail to Lardiere McNair & Stonebrook, LLC in connection with a matter for which we do not already represent you, your communication may not be treated as privileged, confidential or otherwise protected because you are not a client. If you communicate with us by e-mail in connection with a matter for which we already represent you, please remember that Internet e-mail may not be secure. **
Notice: If you send e-mail to Lardiere McNair & Stonebrook, LLC in connection with a matter for which we do not already represent you, your communication may not be treated as privileged, confidential or otherwise protected because you are not a client. If you communicate with us by e-mail in connection with a matter for which we already represent you, please remember that Internet e-mail may not be secure. *

At Lardiere McNair & Stonebrook, we recognize that we are here to provide more than just quality legal service to our clients.
Copyright Lardiere McNair & Stonebrook, LLC 2022
Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
bubblecrossmenuchevron-down linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram