A federal appeals court recently found that truck drivers are classified under California’s gig economy law, as opposed to being independent contractors.
This gives them a right to overtime, sick pay or other benefits. Last year, a federal judge had ruled federal interstate transportation law preempted 2019’s Assembly Bill (AB) 5, Associated Press reported.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco overturned that decision in late April, finding AB 5 doesn’t conflict with the law because it is “a generally applicable labor law that affects a motor carrier’s relationship with its workforce and does not bind, compel, or otherwise freeze into place the prices, routes, or services.”
The California Trucking Association voiced their opposition against the ruling, stating it would take the necessary legal actions to continue the fight for independent owner-operators and motor carriers.
