https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/vb5ba4/uber-lyft-and-doordash-plan-to-spend-dollar90-million-to-undo-a-law-that-protects-their-workers

California's Senate has passed AB5, a landmark bill that would force contractors to classify gig workers as employees and potentially remake the business models of companies like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash. But with app companies committing tens of millions of dollars to effectively overturn those protections, the fight is far from over.

The fight to get here has been long. Uber and Lyft failed to negotiate back-room deals with California unions that proposed alternatives to employee classification and compensation. The companies went so far as to co-write an op-ed titled, “Uber, Lyft, ready to do our part.” When those alternatives were loudly rejected, Uber and Lyft started paying drivers to protest against being paid like employees. Meanwhile, driver groups such as Gig Workers Rising, Mobile Worker Alliance, and Rideshare Drivers United, held countless protests and actions that culminated in a 600-mile caravan across California.