Uber and Lyft drivers were paid up to $100 to demonstrate against a bill that could make them employees

Fighting to stave off a bill that could force them to treat their workers as employees, Uber and Lyft this week deployed an unusual weapon: a promise of extra pay to drivers willing to lobby on their behalf. Calling for changes to a bill that would allow drivers to continue working as independent contractors while being afforded some of the protections typically reserved for employees, the ride-hailing companies recruited drivers to rally outside the state Capitol on Tuesday ahead of a Senate labor hearing on the bill.