California Gig Workers Union Clears 30% Threshold for Uber, Lyft Drivers
Updated
Updated · KQED · Aug 9
California Gig Workers Union Clears 30% Threshold for Uber, Lyft Drivers
3 articles · Updated · KQED · Aug 9
Summary
State regulators said the California Gig Workers Union has secured support from at least 30% of active ride-hail drivers, putting certification within 30 days under a new state law.
AB 1340, passed last year and effective this year, created a bargaining path for drivers who remain independent contractors and still lack overtime and other federal employee protections.
If certified, the union would become the exclusive bargaining representative for Uber and Lyft drivers, with pay, benefits and company fee cuts at the center of expected talks.
Uber and Lyft said they are prepared to engage in good faith, after years of conflict over contractor status that culminated in California voters backing Proposition 22 and the state Supreme Court upholding it in 2024.
The union says certification would create the world's largest gig-driver union, marking a new model for organizing workers who were long excluded from traditional labor law.
Will California's unprecedented gig worker union actually boost driver pay, or just create new financial burdens without changing their contractor status?
How exactly will a traditional labor union successfully negotiate wages and discipline with the opaque algorithms running Uber and Lyft?
California Gig Workers Union Surpasses 30% Support: Inside the Landmark Statewide Unionization of Uber and Lyft Drivers and the Rise of Sectoral Bargaining
Overview
California’s passage of Assembly Bill 1340 in 2025 set the stage for a major shift in the gig economy, granting rideshare drivers the right to unionize as independent contractors. By August 2026, the California Gig Workers Union reached the crucial 30% support milestone, triggering a 30-day certification process that could make it the exclusive statewide bargaining representative for Uber and Lyft drivers. This breakthrough comes as drivers face declining pay and unstable working conditions, fueling demands for collective bargaining. As platforms brace for higher costs and potential profit pressures, similar unionization efforts are spreading to other states, signaling a new era of sectoral bargaining and state-led labor reforms.