Seattle approves minimum wage for Uber and Lyft drivers

From CNET: The Seattle City Council unanimously approved a minimum pay standard for Uber and Lyft drivers on Tuesday, the second city in the US to do so. Under the new regulation going in to effect in January, the ride-hailing services will be required to pay their drivers at least $16.39 an hour.

"The pandemic has exposed the fault lines in our systems of worker protections, leaving many frontline workers like gig workers without a safety net," Mayor Jenny Durkan said in a statement.

The law, passed in a 9-to-0 vote, is modeled after one passed by New York in August 2018 that caps how many ride-hailing cars from services like Uber and Lyft can be on the street. Seattle's law will require drivers be paid at least 56 cents per minute and $1.33 per mile driven while transporting passengers.

Lyft criticized the move, saying it would eliminate thousands of jobs.

"The City's plan is deeply flawed and will actually destroy jobs for thousands of people -- as many as 4,000 drivers on Lyft alone -- and drive ride-share companies out of Seattle," Lyft said in a statement.

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