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Uber's New Agreement Asks Drivers to Give Up the Right to Sue

By:
Ethan Wolff-Mann
2 min read
An Uber driver wearing a mask holds up a sign during a protest against a rise in the commission taken by Uber Technologies Inc. outside their offices in London, U.K., on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015. - Dawson, Simon—Bloomberg/Getty Images
An Uber driver wearing a mask holds up a sign during a protest against a rise in the commission taken by Uber Technologies Inc. outside their offices in London, U.K., on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015. Dawson, Simon—Bloomberg/Getty Images

On Friday, traditionally the slowest day of the news cycle, Uber sent out a new agreement to its drivers that asks them to waive their right to a lawsuit and agree to arbitration disputes instead.

Buried deep at the end of the 21-page document—which spans approximately 4,500 words—is an opt-out procedure that gives drivers some recourse to keep control of their destiny.

Within 30 days of signing the new agreement, the drivers can send an email to "optout@uber.com" with their "name and intent to opt out of this Arbitration Provision" or send a letter. Otherwise you're locked in. Uber says it it will not penalize drivers who opt out.

This new agreement comes on the heels of a court decision Wednesday that ruled Uber drivers who didn't opt out of the arbitration provision could still participate in class action lawsuits. With the update Friday, the company has re-done their language to make the new provision enforceable, which could limit the size of the existing class action, and limit their damages.

Asking people to waive their traditional legal recourse and lock them into arbitration should something go wrong has been a growing problem of late, which the New York Times described in vigorous detail in a three-part series this fall.

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