Uber and Lyft drivers are employees, California appeals court affirms

The battle over Uber and Lyft drivers' status saw a significant development Thursday. A Californian appeals court has unanimously upheld a ruling that the ride-hailing companies' drivers must be classified as employees, meaning they're eligible for healthcare, paid sick leave, and other such benefits.

The stay on the Superior Court's August injunction will therefore soon be lifted, requiring Uber and Lyft to provide these benefits to drivers.

"[Uber and Lyft describe] the injunction here as 'radical' and 'unprecedented,'" wrote Justice Jon Streeter in his 74-page ruling. "But these adjectives perhaps say more about the reach of modern technology and the scale of today's technology-driven commerce than they do about the order itself... It is broad in scope, no doubt, but so too is the scale of the alleged violations." Read more...