Uber Abandons State, Pays $78K to Avoid Classifying Drivers as Employees

Uber is facing pressure from all sides to classify its drivers as employees and provide benefits such as workers’ compensation — but most of that has come in the form of lawsuits by its drivers. Now, a state workers’ compensation agency has brought action against the San Francisco tech giant over the misclassification issue. Rather than classifying its drivers as employees, or even fighting the state in court, Uber decided it would rather pack up and leave. The Alaska Division of Workers’ Compensation announced Thursday that Uber has agreed, as part of a settlement, t...