ELA CEO and Founder and Hirschfeld Kraemer LLP Partner Stephen J. Hirschfeld is quoted in the Forbes article titled, "Uber Fights Seattle's Push To Make It Bargain With The Teamsters." The piece explores how Seattle's 2015 ordinance allowing drivers for ride-sharing companies to enter into negotiations with a union chosen by the city is facing push-back from Uber, leading to a case before a Washington state court weighing the legality of the city's ordinance. Seattle earlier this month selected the Teamsters to potentially represent drivers.
Hirschfeld commented on how labor laws were crafted with different companies and industries in mind, with many dating back to the United State's industrial heyday. As such, it can be very difficult to apply these rules and standards to "Gig Economy" workers, as Hirschfeld notes:
"Normally in a factory of course you’re going to have some turnover," said Stephen Hirschfeld, a partner with Hirschfeld Kraemer and chairman of a national association of employer attorneys. "But the nature of this job is you have tremendous turnover. That’s not analogous to the normal workplace I’ve been dealing with as a practicing labor lawyer for 30 years."
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