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US: California commission says Uber driver is employee

By  |  June 21, 2015

A ruling in the case of a single Uber driver could have much broader implications for the popular ride-hailing service and for companies like it that rely on workers they see as independent contractors for on-demand services.

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    The California Labor Commission has ruled that an Uber driver should be considered a company employee, not an independent contractor.

    The driver, Barbara Ann Berwick, filed a claim last year saying Uber owed her unpaid wages and other expenses. Uber has long contended that it is a technological platform used by independent drivers and their passengers to arrange and pay for rides.

    The commission, however, found that Uber acted like an employer, and the driver, like a delivery person for a pizza parlor, was an employee. It awarded Berwick $4,152.20 in expenses and interest.

    For Uber, a privately held company valued at $40 billion, the case is clearly not about the money involved but about what it could mean for its long-term business model and how it is regulated.

    Full content: Yahoo! News

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