With the start of the new year, New York Attorney General Letitia James gave Uber and Lyft drivers a bit of good news.
On Tuesday, James announced she would extend the time frame in which New York Uber and Lyft drivers could receive wage theft settlement funds to January 31, 2025.
Originally, the deadline to file a claim was July 29, 2024, but with a substantial amount of settlement money still unclaimed, according to the Attorney General’s office, the office decided to give drivers more time.
Also read: Uber and Lyft to Pay New York Drivers $328 Million As Wage Theft Settlement
To file a claim, drivers must contact Rust Consulting, the administrator hired by the Attorney General’s office to oversee the claims process and make the payments directly to drivers.
More than 100,000 drivers throughout New York are eligible to receive settlement funds. So far, the Attorney General’s office has received 57,000 claims from Uber drivers, claiming an excess of $242 million. They have also received 34,000 claims from Lyft drivers amounting to more than $29 million in claims.
“Rideshare drivers help keep New York moving and deserve full and fair compensation for their hard work,” said James in a statement. “I am proud to have secured this landmark settlement with Uber and Lyft and to be returning these funds to the drivers that rightfully earned them. I urge any Uber or Lyft driver who believes they may be eligible to file a claim now to get their money back before the portal closes on January 31, 2025.”
In November 2023, James secured $328 million in back payments for drivers following an investigation on wage theft that found Uber and Lyft withheld funds from drivers. According to the Attorney General’s office, beginning in 2014 and lasting until 2017, Uber deducted sales taxes and Black Car Fund fees, which provide drivers with Workers’ Compensation insurance, from drivers’ payments when passengers should have paid those taxes and fees.
Also read: Uber and Lyft Wage Theft Settlements: AG Warns Against Scams
Lyft employed similar methods between 2015 to 2017, deducting an 11.4 % “administrative charge” from drivers’ payments in New York equal to the amount of sales tax and Black Car Fund fees that should have been paid by riders.
Both Uber and Lyft also failed to provide drivers with paid sick leave available to employees under New York City and New York state law.
To be eligible for settlement money, Lyft drivers must have worked between October 11, 2015, and July 31, 2017, and have had deductions taken from them for New York sales tax and Black Car Fund fees. They can file a claim here.
Uber drivers who drove between November 10, 2014, and May 22, 2017, and had deductions taken for New York sales tax and Black Car Fund fees are also eligible. They can file a claim here.
Uber drivers experiencing an issue filing a claim should contact Rust Consulting directly at 1-800-625-2332 or info@UberNYAGSettlement.com.
Drivers with questions about the Lyft settlement can contact 1-800-433-5314 or info@LyftNYAGSettlement.com.
For information on the settlements, drivers can also contact the New York Taxi Workers Alliance at (718) 706-9892 or media@nytwa.org.
