New York judge rules that former Uber drivers are eligible for unemployment benefits

An administrative law judge for New York State Labor Department has ruled that three former Uber drivers and ‘others similarly situated’ were eligible for unemployment benefits. Although Uber considers its drivers to be self-employed, the judge has reasoned that ‘Uber exercised sufficient supervision, direction, and control over key aspects of the services rendered by claimants such that an employer-employee relationship was created’. One issues that remains unclear in the ruling is the meaning of the term ‘similarly situated’.