LSNYC Helped Win Unemployment Benefits for Uber Drivers

Governor Kathy Hochul announced a settlement between the New York State Department of Labor and Uber Technologies Inc., in which Uber will begin making quarterly payments into the New York State Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund as well as a retroactive payment to account for past contributions that they didn’t make. 

The settlement follows two federal lawsuits filed by Legal Services NYC and the New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA) on behalf of drivers over Uber’s failure to provide unemployment benefits to them. Those drivers, organized by community-based groups, have fought for years for basic benefits, including during the pandemic, and were repeatedly denied access at a time when they needed help the most. New York is the first state in the country with which Uber has agreed to a settlement that addresses both past and future unemployment insurance liability.

The settlement is a victory for Uber drivers across the state, who will no longer be denied timely access to life-saving benefits by Uber in their darkest hour. The settlement also ensures that New York taxpayers will no longer have to subsidize the billionaires at Uber and Lyft who must now pay their fair share. 

Drivers for one of the state’s largest employer will now be able to access unemployment benefits moving forward without endless obstacles and denials. We hope to see other states follow New York’s lead in holding Uber accountable so that drivers can access the help they need to support themselves and their families.

• Read a statement about the settlement here
• Read the press release on court decision for Uber to pay drivers here
• Read the press release about the Appeal Board ruling here

“This is a great victory for drivers in New York. This is about survival, about taking care of drivers at an important time. I’m very happy. We work and we want to be treated like every worker. We don’t want people to treat us like a secondary class of people. We deserve unemployment benefits like everyone else.”

Doh “Seydou” Ouattara, a former Uber driver and NYTWA member

Get Help

Learn more about our workers’ rights practice.

For free legal help, call Legal Services NYC at 917-661-4500 Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Learn more about our intake process here.