Recently, a federal court in California certified a class action of Uber drivers who claim they are really employees and were misclassified by Uber as independent contractors.  Uber defended the class status of the Uber drivers, arguing that each driver, as independent contractors, had a special contractual relationship with Uber and couldn’t prosecute their individual claims as a class. 
 
Drivers for a similar service, Lyft, are also suing and alleging class claims under California’s Labor Code. 
 
This case highlights that misclassification of employees as independent contractors is costly and has far-reaching consequences.
 
The question of whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor often involves multiple factors and may depend on the forum or governmental agency reviewing the worker’s status.  If you have any concern about whether workers can be classified as independent contractors, please seek experienced legal counsel.