Uber and Lyft drivers are set to receive “just cause” protections against being suddenly kicked off the apps that employ them, a practice known as “unfair deactivations,” after the City Council voted on Thursday to override ex-Mayor Eric Adams’ 11th-hour veto of the legislation.
An overwhelming 46 members of the 51-lawmaker body voiced support for resurrecting the bill, Intro. 276 — six more votes than it originally passed by in December. The measure was one of 17 the council voted to reinstate after Adams rejected them on Dec. 31 — in the final hours of his mayoralty.
The bill is intended to establish safeguards for Uber and Lyft drivers against unfair deactivations, which its proponents describe as their vulnerability to getting kicked off the platforms at any moment, without warning, explanation, or an independent appeals process. They say the practice disproportionately impacts drivers who are immigrants and people of color.
“Today, we will cross the finish line and end the threat of unfair firings in the city,” said Council Member Shekar Krishnan (D-Queens), the bill’s prime sponsor, at a City Hall press conference before the vote.
A rep for Uber declined to comment. A Lyft spokesperson not not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At the same news conference, New York Taxi Workers Alliance Executive Director Bhairavi Desai said the bill is about affording Uber and Lyft drivers due process.
“We need due process, not only in our courts against government, but we also need due process in our economy, in the battle between workers and capital,” Desai said. “That’s fundamentally what this bill is about. It’s about democracy, it’s about dignity, and it’s about economic stability.”
Specifically, the legislation would implement a just cause process — requiring app companies to give a stated reason for booting a driver from their platforms, while placing the burden of proof on them; mandate they provide drivers with 14 days’ notice before deactivation; and establish an independent appeals process.
Under the appeals process, drivers can either address their termination informally with the app companies or request an investigation by the city Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP).
Krishnan also shared harsh words for Adams over his last-minute veto.
“One of his last acts as our last mayor was to fail immigrants and workers in this city,” Krishnan said. “I hope that wherever Eric Adams is today, he hears these workers, he sees these workers who we betrayed in his final moment as our mayor.”
When Adams vetoed the bill, he said it — along with 18 other measures he rejected — that it ran “directly counter to [his] North Star of lifting up working-class New Yorkers.”
During the press conference, Sam Levine — Mamdani’s DCWP commissioner — voiced full support for the legislation, saying “we are deeply disappointed that Mayor Adams vetoed this bill.”
But Levine said that the city’s workers will be treated far better under his boss.
“Under Mayor Mandani, you will have a city hall that stands with workers, rather than against them, and it’s about time,” Levine said. “So today, let us celebrate. And tomorrow, let’s continue the fight to make sure every worker in this city has job security, fairness in the job, and stability for their family.”
