learning about Agency Law. Both "employees" and "independent contractors" are "agents" but the law treats "employees" very differently than "independent contractors" in many ways. The explosive growth of the "gig" economy (i.e., working on an assignment-by-assignment basis with no promise of permanent work) over the past decade means that far more workers are classified under the law as "independent contractors" than in years past. Some people are happy about it; others are not happy about it.

In 2019, California enacted "AB 5," also called the "Gig Worker Law." The statute changed the existing definitions of "employee" and "independent contractor." California now uses different factors to determine whether a worker is an "employee" than the criteria used in many states (and criteria noted in our textbook). AB 5 has been very controversial. In 2020, Uber and Lyft financed a successful statewide voter initiative called Proposition 22 that partially changed the effects of AB 5 on "ride-share drivers" and certain others working in the "gig economy."

Please conduct online research to learn about "AB 5." The internet is full of news stories and other resources discussing it. Take some time to educate yourself about AB 5 and the controversy surrounding it and then respond to the following questions.

1. Using your own words, discuss AB 5 and, specifically, how it changed the way that California defines "employees." What factors (also known as criteria) are used in AB 5 to determine if a California worker is an "employee"?
2. What jobs (for instance, actors) are exempt from the new definition of "employee" in AB 5? Why do you believe that these jobs were excluded from AB 5?
3. After reading about the controversy surrounding AB 5 - and the differing views of different groups (for instance, truckers seem to be opposed but many shared-ride drivers are supportive) - do you support the legal changes implemented by AB 5? Why or why not?

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

AB 5 and Changes to Californias Definition of Employees AB 5 also known as the Gig Worker Law was enacted in California in 2019 to address the growing ... View the full answer