Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill this week that makes Washington state the first in the nation to ensure that Uber and Lyft rideshare drivers receive paid family and medical leave.
HB 1570 passed the Washington state Senate last Tuesday after clearing the House in March.
The new law comes a year after the passage of HB 2076, which set a minimum wage and other benefits for Lyft and Uber drivers, while maintaining their status as gig workers and not company employees.
“Today is a landmark in the fight for worker rights nationwide” said Peter Kuel, president of Drivers Union, in a statement on Monday. The union is affiliated with Teamsters Local 117 and represents Washington Uber and Lyft drivers.
“In the state of Washington, drivers must no longer choose between caring for unwell loved ones and putting food on the table,” Kuel added. “This victory is a demonstration of what drivers can achieve when they organize together to fight for the rights that every worker deserves.”
HB 1570 gives Washington’s 30,000 rideshare drivers the right to up to 12 weeks of paid leave due to a medical event or the birth of a child. It also makes unemployment benefits permanent for drivers.
Uber and Lyft both expressed support for the bill.
“We are proud to stand with Gov. Inslee, Rep. Berry, labor and the many drivers as the bookend, HB 1570, to the historic worker bill, HB 2076, is signed into law,” an Uber spokesperson said in a statement. “These coordinated pieces of legislation reflect a true compromise between state lawmakers, labor leaders and transportation network companies to afford drivers historic new benefits while protecting the independence and flexibility they say they want.”
A Lyft spokesperson called the law “another historic win for drivers in Washington state.”
“These new benefits and protections are the result of legislators, app-based companies, and labor organizations listening to drivers and working together,” Lyft’s statement said.
At least one transportation expert told The Center Square that the new law is likely to increase rideshare fares.
“If the companies have to pay unemployment benefits, they have to get money for those benefits from somewhere,” said Baruch Feigenbaum, senior managing director of transportation policy at the Reason Foundation.
