California's Proposition 22, also known as the gig workers law, has recently been ruled unconstitutional and unenforceable by a judge, reports the Verge.
Prop 22 was a controversial measure back in November 2020. Companies like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash spent over $200 million to campaign for the measure. Voters approved the law on election day.
However, several labor organizations like the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) opposed it, saying it actually harmed workers.
The Verge reports that the law exempts gig employers from having to provide benefits and protections to its workers but requires they offer healthcare subsidies and minimum hourly earnings.
Back in January, a group of Uber and Lyft drivers and the SEIU filed a lawsuit in hopes of having the measure overturned.
On Friday, August 20, California Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch ruled that the law illegally “limits the power of a future legislature to define app-based drivers as workers subject to workers’ compensation law."
Roesch continued, writing "It appears only to protect the economic interest of the network companies in having a divided, ununionized workforce, which is not a stated goal of the legislation."
In an email to the Verge, Geoff Vetter, a spokesperson for the Protect App-Based Drivers & Services Coalition said they plan to appeal and that “All of the provisions of Prop 22 will remain in effect until the appeal process is complete.”