Uber sued again over drivers' employment status

Source: Los Angeles Times

By Tracey Lien - Contact Reporter
May 2, 2016 at 12:35 PM

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Less than two weeks after Uber Technologies agreed to pay up to $100 million to settle class-action lawsuits in California and Massachusetts in which drivers sought to be reclassified as employees instead of independent contractors, the ride-hailing company has been slapped with two new cases.

Lawyers in Florida and Illinois have filed similar nationwide class-action lawsuits on behalf of Uber drivers who say the San Francisco company violated the Fair Labor Standard Act. They seek to recover drivers’ unpaid overtime wages and work-related expenses.

The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Illinois goes a step further and tries to recover tips that were “earned but stolen by Uber, or were lost due to [Uber’s] communications and policies."

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As part of the proposed settlement, the company recently changed some of its policies to offer drivers more transparency when it comes to driver termination. The company also agreed to stop telling passengers that tips are included in the fare.

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Read more: http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-uber-nationwide-class-action-20160502-story.html