Transportation network company drivers: labor relations.

With Assembly Members Wicks and Berman guiding the measure, and joined by a slate of coauthors, the proposal would establish a statewide, PERB-administered framework to organize labor relations between transportation network company drivers and the companies that deploy them. It creates a formal pathway for drivers to form bargaining organizations, select representatives, and negotiate terms of work and compensation through sectoral agreements, while preserving a defined role for TNCs in product development and operations. The measure also introduces a confidentiality regime for driver information handled by the Public Employment Relations Board.

Key mechanics center on a phased, certification-driven model for driver representation and a sectoral bargaining apparatus. Driver organizations could seek recognition once a minority of active drivers express support, with a higher threshold enabling faster certification. The process relies on quarterly data submissions from TNCs—summed rides statewide and per-quarter totals—to identify which firms are “covered” by the act (roughly those accounting for the majority of statewide rides) and to determine eligibility for representation. Once certified, the driver organization would bargain with the covered TNCs, and sectoral agreements would address a defined scope of representation, including earnings, benefits, deactivations, and related matters, with board review and potential mediation or binding arbitration if negotiations stall. Sectoral agreements must meet thresholds for broad industry participation (including a minimum share of rides and the two largest covered TNCs) and cannot reduce Prop 22 minimums or alter independent-contractor status.

Enforcement and dispute resolution are assigned to PERB, with procedures for unfair practices by either side and a mediation/arbitration pipeline if negotiations fail. The act envisions a mediator panel process and, if needed, arbitration with a cost-sharing framework between the TNCs and the certified driver bargaining organization. It provides for data-security requirements before driver information can be accessed by the certified organization, imposes limits on public disclosure of driver data, and allows exemptions from open-meeting rules for mediation and arbitration sessions. The governance framework also includes the possibility of emergency regulations to implement the act and explicit severability and privacy protections.

The policy context situates the measure alongside Proposition 22, acknowledging its baseline standards while creating a broader, court-supervised mechanism for sectoral bargaining under PERB oversight. Implementation would begin with phased data reporting and certification efforts in 2026, followed by potential sectoral negotiations and board approvals as agreements progress through mediation and arbitration. For drivers, the proposal offers a formal path to collective bargaining and defined rights within a statewide unit; for TNCs, it introduces new reporting requirements, governance obligations, and potential bargaining obligations. Public-facing implications center on privacy protections for driver data and transparency considerations related to mediator/arbitrator proceedings, balanced against the state’s interest in enabling a structured framework for driver representation and dispute resolution.