'History making': City Council passes minimum wage standard for Uber, Lyft drivers in Seattle

The Seattle City Council unanimously passed a minimum wage proposal for Uber and Lyft drivers in a "history making" vote that will extend protections to Seattle's gig workers. Councilbill 119876, sponsored by Councilmembers Teresa Mosqueda, Lisa Herbold, Lorena González, Andrew Lewis, Kshama Sawant and Tammy Morales, will require transportation network companies such as Uber and Lyft to pay drivers at least $0.56 per minute for time spent on the platform plus compensation for reasonable expenses including cleaning. Along with a wage standard, the bill requires that drivers be compensated cleaning time, allowing them 30 minutes to clean their vehicles for 8 hours of work. Councilmember Mosqueda expressed the importance of this compensation for sanitation during the COVID-19 pandemic.