OLYMPIA, WA, March 4, 2022 — Today, the Washington State Senate passed House Bill 2076 State Rep. Liz Berry (D-Seattle) to create the highest statewide minimum wage for rideshare drivers in the country as well as workers’ compensation benefits, paid sick days, and protections against unfair driver termination.

“I’m proud to have introduced and passed first-in-the-nation legislation advancing the rights of rideshare drivers in Washington,” said State Representative Liz Berry.  “The drivers have been my North Star throughout this process. They have been asking for statewide pay raises, deactivation protections, and benefits – a better quality of life and future. I will continue to listen all the way to the finish line.”

HB 2076 provides:

• Workers’ compensation coverage through the same robust state-run program that protects employees in Washington State.
• Paid sick leave protections at the same accrual rates of all workers.
• Unemployment & Paid Family and Medical Leave insurance.
• Guaranteed statewide minimum pay based on a Seattle standard that accounts for expenses and working time, with yearly cost of living increases, while protecting the nation-leading minimum wage in Seattle.
• A path for deactivation protections statewide under a just cause standard.
• Protection from retaliation for exercising their rights.

“Year after year, our pay has been reduced, requiring us to work longer and drive further to make ends meet,” said Walt Ellis, from Bellingham, who has driven for Uber and Lyft for seven years. “I’m proud to be a part of a driver movement that has won first-in-the-nation protections, benefits, and pay raises statewide. This victory puts an end to unsustainable pay cuts and moves drivers forward where our pay will rise with the cost of living.” 

Washington’s more than 30,000 rideshare drivers are made up largely of immigrants and people of color. In fact, 30% of drivers and their families rely on food stamps in King County and 24% of drivers in the county are living in federal poverty (Parrott & Reich 24). 

“After years of organizing along with drivers in Washington—mostly immigrants like me—we’ve finally won our most significant victory yet, the highest labor standards in the nation,” said Peter Kuel, President of Drivers Union and an Uber and Lyft driver since 2014. “The passage of the Expand Fairness bill demonstrates the tremendous impact we can create when we combine our voices and demand better.”

“I’m proud to support my friend and colleague Rep. Berry with this first-in-the-nation legislation advancing the rights of passenger drivers in Washington,” said State Sen. Rebecca Saldaña (D-Seattle), who helped champion the bill in the Senate. “Throughout my time in the legislature, I have prioritized expanding workplace protections for those in our modern economy. The drivers in my community, the vast majority of whom are immigrants, refugees, and people of color, have demanded the protections we are providing in this bill. We are building on Seattle’s nation-leading policies to provide almost unheard-of protections to these drivers and put money back in their pockets.”

House Bill 2076 is the culmination of a decade-long negotiation between transportation network companies and drivers on a framework to regulate this constantly evolving industry. The bill passed on a bipartisan vote 40-8 and now moves back to the House for a concurrence vote. 

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