Governor Newsom has committed to sign historic bill, the largest-ever expansion of union rights to private sector workers, once it arrives on his desk

Today State Senators voted in support of Assembly Bill 1340 (Wicks, Berman) that would give California’s more than 800,000 rideshare drivers the opportunity to form a union and negotiate with Uber and Lyft over their pay and working conditions.

“After years of being squeezed for every penny by gig companies that are making billions in profits, the chance to sit down at the table and bargain over wages and unfair treatment by Uber and Lyft means everything,” said Pemba Pemba, a Bay Area California Gig Workers Union member who’s been driving for Uber and Lyft for 9 years. “The fight has been long and exhausting, but now I feel excited about what’s ahead. When workers have a voice to shape this industry, we can get back to the reason many of us signed up with the apps – to make a decent living and provide for our families.”

“Drivers are working longer and longer hours just to scrape by, but we had faith that going to Sacramento to share our stories and fight for this victory would be worth it. Gig rideshare corporations have exploited us for too long, but we’re showing the nation that states like California can lead the way in fighting back against the Trump, corporate-first economy that’s hurting working families. We look forward to this bill finally becoming law and growing California Gig Workers Union,” said Eugene Ching, a Los Angeles-based Uber and Lyft driver and member of California Gig Workers Union.

“Gig corporations tried to create a new class of ‘less than’ workers, hiding behind faceless apps to deny the most basic rights to a workforce made up largely of immigrants and people of color,” said Theresa Rutherford, President of SEIU 1021. “But with AB 1340, gig drivers are proving that when workers unite, we decide our value. And when workers have the power to join together in a union and negotiate with powerful corporations, we bring the strongest tool for equity, not just in the workplace but in our entire economy.”

“This fight is about more than jobs, it’s about dignity, safety, and the basic right that all workers deserve: to be heard and be part of building a future where no one is left behind. Gig drivers have been standing up because they’ve had enough-enough of poverty wages, broken promises, and being treated as disposable. They’ve been demanding the right to speak up, to be respected, and to fight for a better life with a union, and we’re proud to stand with them,” said David Green, SEIU 721 President and Executive Director. “Thank you to Assemblymembers Wicks and Berman for standing with drivers and helping amplify their voices. We look forward to AB 1340 soon becoming law.”

“Corporations thought they could bury gig drivers’ demand for respect and fair compensation with hundreds of millions of dollars to buy their own laws,” said Tia Orr, Executive Director of SEIU California. “But workers are relentless and when working people come together, we are unstoppable. Organizing and fighting for a decade, gig workers did more than write history – they’re showing us how to create a future centered on workers’ needs, not corporate greed.”