CALIFORNIA—On Tuesday, January 12, unions and drivers asked the California Supreme Court to overturn Proposition 22, which was approved by California voters in November 2020.

Proposition 22, the most expensive ballot measure in California history, excludes ride and delivery services from being identified as state employees.  California voters approved it by 58 percent.

It was also supported by transport companies like Uber and Lyft, both of whom threatened to leave the state if the proposition failed to pass.  More than $200 million was spent in support of Proposition 22.

The lawsuit claims that the proposition, which went into effect in December 2020, is “invalid and unenforceable” and argue the proposition “withdraws minimum employment protections from hundreds of thousands of California workers.”

In addition, the lawsuit alleges that voters were “grossly deceived” into supporting Proposition 22 because they “were not told they were voting to prevent the Legislature from granting the drivers collective bargaining rights” and not “providing incentives for companies to give app-based drivers more than the minimal wages and benefits provided” by the proposition.

The plaintiffs said they did not want to start from the lower courts because they say “this matter presents pure legal issues of broad public importance that require speedy and final resolution,” according to the lawsuit.

Among the plaintiffs, this lawsuit was filed by the Service Employees International Union California State Council, a union with more than 2 million members.