The Latest: Reaction is mixed after Seattle vote giving Uber drivers the right to unionize

SEATTLE – The latest on the Seattle City Council’s decision on whether to allow drivers of ride-hailing companies to unionize (all times local):

4:30 p.m.

Reaction has been mixed after the Seattle City Council voted to give drivers for ride-hailing companies, taxis and for-hire transportation companies the right to unionize over pay and working conditions.

San Francisco-based Lyft urged the mayor and council to reconsider following the bill’s passage Monday. The company says the ordinance threatens drivers’ privacy, imposes costs to passengers and the city, and contradicts federal law.

Saad Melouchi, who drives for Uber, says he’s thrilled with the decision. He burst into cheers and hugged others outside City Council chambers. He says he wants to bargain over issues such as safety and wages.

The Teamsters Union Local 117 also celebrated the vote, while the National Right To Work Legal Foundation criticized it as a violation of drivers’ rights.

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3:30 p.m.

Seattle has become the first city in the nation to allow drivers of ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft to unionize over pay and working conditions.

The legislation the City Council approved Monday is seen as a test case for the changing 21st century workforce. The companies strongly oppose it and are expected to challenge it in court.

The council passed the measure on an 8-0 vote. It requires companies that hire or contract with drivers of taxis, for-hire transportation companies and app-based ride-hailing services to bargain with its drivers, if a majority show they want to be represented.

San Francisco-based Uber and others argued federal labour law prevents cities from regulating collective bargaining for independent contractors, and the ordinance would violate federal antitrust laws.

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1:45 p.m.

Seattle could soon become the first city in the nation to let drivers of ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft form a union over pay and working conditions.

The City Council is expected to vote Monday on whether to extend collective bargaining rights for drivers of taxis, for-hire transportation companies and app-based ride-hailing services that are part of the growing on-demand economy.

Supporters say many drivers are immigrants who depend on full-time work, but some make less than minimum wage and lack basic worker rights.

San Francisco-based Uber and others say federal labour law prevents cities from regulating collective bargaining for independent contractors. They say the ordinance would violate federal antitrust laws by allowing independent transportation providers to conspire to artificially drive up transportation costs.