United States of America: Ruling in Lawsuit regarding worker qualification in Proposition 22 (Castellanos v California)

On 20 August 2021, the Alameda County Superior Court in California issued a ruling concerning the lawsuit filed by taxi drivers (specifically, the Service Employees International California and the Service Employees International Union) against the state of California regarding the outcome of Proposition 22. Proposition 22 provided for an exception to California Assembly Bill No.5, which laid out a three-step process to determine a worker's status as either an independent contractor or an employee. Proposition 22 specified that "app-based drivers" were independent contractors rather than employees. The trial judge ruled that Proposition 22 was unconstitutional.