Assemblymember Buffy Wicks announced support for Assembly Bill 1340 and Senate Bill 371, which are backed by both labor and industry groups. These bills represent a significant development for rideshare drivers and passengers, granting drivers bargaining rights while potentially reducing fares.
“This is a massive win for Californians whether they are behind the wheel or riding in the back seat,” said Wicks. “Hundreds of thousands of hardworking women and men, many of them immigrants, seniors, people working two or three jobs to make ends meet, now have a seat at the table in the fight for fairer wages and better working conditions. And their passengers hailing a ride to the grocery store, school, or to a doctor’s appointment will see the fares for those rides decrease. I am grateful to the Governor, legislative leaders, and partners in labor and the tech sector who worked to make this possible.”
Assembly Bill 1340, authored by Wicks and Assemblymember Marc Berman and sponsored by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California, creates a legal framework that allows rideshare drivers to organize and engage in collective bargaining with platform companies. This right was previously absent due to Proposition 22’s exclusion from Assembly Bill 5. The agreement also includes Senate Bill 371, which reduces costly insurance mandates. Governor Gavin Newsom, Senate Pro Tem Mike McGuire, and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas have publicly supported these measures as steps toward empowering workers and making rides more affordable for passengers. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, ride-hail drivers in California “will be able to unionize and collectively bargain for better pay and working conditions” under this historic agreement.
The Transportation Network Company Drivers Labor Relations Act moved through the California Legislature with a clear trajectory: introduced in February 2025, it passed the Assembly with a vote of 54–15 on June 4. It then advanced through multiple Senate committees—Labor & Employment, Transportation, Appropriations—reaching a “do pass” vote on August 29, 2025. The bill’s legislative history is tracked by TrackBill, confirming its progression through multiple analyses. Wicks is identified as the primary sponsor alongside co-sponsors including Berman and Alex Lee.
Senate Bill 371 is supported by Uber and Lyft and modifies insurance requirements for rideshare drivers by reducing the uninsured/underinsured motorist mandate from $1 million per person per accident to $60,000 per person and $300,000 per accident. According to an official press release from Speaker Rivas, this adjustment aims to “improve rideshare affordability” while maintaining essential consumer protections.
Gig rideshare drivers in California face significant economic challenges. A study conducted by the UC Berkeley Labor Center in 2024 reports that after expenses, drivers earn a median “employee-equivalent” pay of just $5.97 per hour. Despite a more than seven percent increase in average rideshare prices from 2023 to 2024, driver revenues fell—Uber driver earnings dropped by 3.4%, while Lyft driver earnings declined by 13.9%. These factors highlight the need for collective bargaining rights addressed by AB 1340.
Wicks represents California’s East Bay area, including Oakland, Berkeley, and Richmond. Recently appointed Chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, she previously led the Housing Committee. Her legislative focus includes housing issues, homelessness solutions, digital safety for children, and support for women and working families. A former Obama campaign staffer who also worked at the White House, Wicks resides in Oakland with her husband and two daughters.
