Posts tagged Lyft
Your Uber Driver May Soon Be Unionized. At What Cost?
June 15, 2026 // In fact, this result has already been seen in locales that have pushed aggressive minimum wage laws for gig workers—another one-size-fits-all progressive labor policy that left-leaning cities have begun importing to gig work in recent years. For instance, the waitlist to become an UberEats driver in New York City grew to 27,000 after the Big Apple passed a minimum wage ordinance for app-based food delivery in 2023; the minimum wage rules forced Uber to limit drivers in an effort to control spiking labor costs. Unfortunately, draconian sector-wide labor rules will also raise labor costs for these platforms, with the costs inevitably being passed along to riders in the form of more expensive Uber rides. (Such a passed-along price increase has also already been seen with the minimum wage mandates for food delivery.) The gig worker unionization drive that is spreading acr
Economically Devastating Rent-Seeking in America’s Labor Markets
June 9, 2026 // Nowhere is rent-seeking more pervasive—or more costly—than in America’s labor markets. From compulsory unionism to occupational licensing, prevailing-wage laws, gig-worker reclassification rules, and strategic minimum-wage campaigns, concentrated interest groups (often unions and incumbent professionals) routinely use state power to extract “rents” from workers, employers, taxpayers, and consumers. These are not abstract economic theories. Rent-seeking is an everyday mechanism that distorts wages, limits opportunities, and transfers trillions of dollars every year, creating harmful economic inefficiencies penalizing employees, employers, taxpayers, and consumers. Compulsory Unionism: The Textbook Case of Labor-Market Rent-Seeking Compulsory unionism
Illinois lawmakers pass bill allowing rideshare drivers to unionize
June 2, 2026 // Critics have raised concerns about potential cost increases and how the changes could impact service availability. The legislation could affect rideshare drivers throughout Northern Illinois, including in Rockford and surrounding communities, where gig work remains a supplemental income source for many residents.
Mass. rideshare drivers win first union certification
May 25, 2026 // Massachusetts rideshare drivers have secured the first union certification from the Commonwealth’s Department of Labor after a years-long effort. The Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations on Friday, marking the largest private sector bargaining victory since the 1940s and first union of gig workers in the country.
Unions, businesses urge legislators in opposite directions on independent contractor rules
May 13, 2026 // “New Jersey’s labor department says it may consider some factors in one case but not in another case, so who knows what matters?” said Kim Kavin, a freelance writer long opposed to ABC regulations. “The department says it may consider factors that aren’t listed anywhere.”
A giant barrier to being self-employed is falling, state by state
April 13, 2026 // As more states pass permanent reforms, millions of independent contractors could gain access to benefits they’ve never enjoyed. But states aren’t the only ones that can act. Congress could also amend federal law so that companies may offer benefits without facing liability. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) and Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-California) have introduced bills to that effect in their respective chambers. They deserve the support of the full Congress and the White House in giving millions more workers long-term financial security along with the flexibility that self-employment provides. The portable benefits revolution can’t sweep the nation fast enough.
Seattle’s Minimum Wage Laws Backfired on Uber and Lyft. Now the Union Wants To Limit Drivers.
March 31, 2026 // As demand for trips has plummeted in the wake of the wage hikes, more rideshare drivers are finding themselves working longer hours to achieve the same number of rides as before. Instead of fixing the root of the problem, a union representing Seattle rideshare workers has a new solution: Limit the number of people who can work as Uber drivers. According to the Drivers Union, which represents Lyft and Uber drivers in Washington State, there is a severe glut of rideshare drivers on the road in the Emerald City. The union bases this on a new report it released (with funding from the state Department of Ecology), which concludes that "a majority of miles driven by Uber drivers are now without a passenger."
Illinois ride-share union bill pushed through amid disagreement on new fee
March 30, 2026 // House Bill 4743 would allow the more than 100,000 contract employees of ride-share services – such as Uber and Lyft – in the state to organize, requiring a minimum of 10% of active drivers to begin the process. The bill also sets a threshold of 30% of active drivers signing union authorization cards to begin any negotiations with the ride-share industry. The bill would also add a new 20 cent fee to each ride conducted in the state, something the Illinois Labor Relations Board opposes. Kimberly Stevens from the Board said the fee creates a conflict of interest for her organization.
The Rise of Portable Benefits
March 19, 2026 // States like Alabama, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming have already enacted voluntary portable benefits frameworks. Others—including Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Georgia—have launched pilot programs. And a growing number of states—from Connecticut to Kansas to Hawaii—are actively considering legislation.
Commentary: The Uber Narrative
March 2, 2026 // This policy issue isn’t primarily about Uber, no matter how many media outlets try to frame it that way. It’s about us all, and about whether we are going to allow our government to restrict our freedom to be entrepreneurial.