California – Today, following the announcement that Lyft has settled with the State of California and three cities to pay $272.5 million to drivers that the company misclassified from 2016 to 2020, Harvin Melendez, a member of the California Gig Workers Union, released this statement: 

“Drivers who are members of the California Gig Workers Union are pleased that thousands of us will receive compensation that we deserve for our hard work. For years, Lyft has tried to game the system to ensure we drivers get as little as possible. It’s greed and exploitation, plain and simple, and we’re glad that Attorney General Bonta’s office worked diligently with our union’s members to collect evidence that Lyft was breaking the law and undercutting drivers across the state for many years.

Lyft’s exploitative schemes show exactly why tens of thousands of drivers have signed union cards in support of forming a California Gig Workers Union. Gig drivers must have the ability to hold tech giants like Lyft accountable and fight for fair pay, benefits, and worker protections that we deserve. This victory today shows what happens when we come together and work toward justice.”