Uber takes the City of Seattle to court

Uber is taking Seattle to court. The Seattle Times reported Uber is suing to block a law that would regulate when it can deactivate a driver.

The lawsuit claims that the city is infringing on the company’s rights by limiting its ability to manage drivers based on performance and safety concerns.

“Uber believes that ensuring consumers receive reliable, efficient and, above all, safe deliveries is more important than allowing couriers with consistently low consumer ratings — a sign of serious performance and/or safety issues — to keep disappointing consumers. The city does not,” the suit read.

The Seattle City Council passed the law in 2023, with strong support from then-council member Theresa Mosqueda.

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“To deactivate a driver or to cut someone off to have their ability to have an income with no warning and no recourse is just wrong,” she said at the time.

The law, set to take effect on New Year’s Day, aims to provide more transparency and fairness in the deactivation process. It requires companies like Uber to establish a “reasonable” policy for deactivations, give drivers advance notice and conduct fair investigations.

Uber argues that the law will hinder its ability to quickly address issues related to driver performance and safety, potentially leading to poorer service for customers. The company also contends that the law violates its constitutional rights by forcing it to associate with problematic drivers and disclose confidential business information.

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The law is part of a broader effort by Seattle lawmakers and labor advocates to protect gig workers, who often lack the ability to unionize. It includes provisions to prevent deactivations based on insufficient driving hours, low customer ratings, or declined ride offers, except in extreme cases.

Additionally, companies must provide drivers with records justifying their deactivation and allow them to contest the decision. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, who signed the bill into law, emphasized the importance of protecting app-based workers from sudden deactivations that could threaten their livelihoods. However, Uber maintains that its existing policies are sufficient to ensure safety and reliability for consumers.

Contributing: Frank Lenzi, KIRO Newsradio

Bill Kaczaraba is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here. Follow Bill on X, formerly known as Twitter, here and email him here.