Uber Court Cases

In the Western world, people in general have labor protections at their places of employment that prevent them from being exploited by their employers. These protections include minimum wage, safety standards, and etc. However, there are some instances in which people who might work for certain companies may not be afforded the same labor protections due that particular company’s definition of what an employee is or isn’t and as a result, a contentious legal issue may arise. This scenario applies to this essay which will examine the legal issue revolving around labor protections in the class action lawsuit against Uber by its drivers. Uber drivers sued the Uber Company by claiming that they violated the Fair Labor Standards Act in which they felt that …show more content…
Uber drivers sued under the Fair Labor Standards Act because the act sets the guidelines of what constitutes an employee in the United States and obviously they felt that Uber violated the law in that regard (Farivar). Over time the Uber lawsuit expanded to include Uber drivers from other states Arizona included, allowed the lawsuit to grow like an avalanche tumbling down the side of a mountain. Uber drivers from other parts of the country such as North Carolina stated that they were being paid below minimum wage in amounts that are comparable to what people from third world countries earn (Farivar). Uber tried prevent this lawsuit from coming to fruition by making their drivers participate in an arbitration because an arbitration would benefit Uber and if they didn’t participate the drivers’ fares and any other benefits would be withheld until they agreed to Uber’s terms (Farivar). However, in the California Uber lawsuit, after harsh criticism towards Uber from the judge, Uber drivers were granted class action status which meant that they would be able to bring in more drivers who had grievances with Uber, like in the North Carolina Uber lawsuit that I mentioned (Farivar). After