Uber Seeks Court Reprieve After California Shutdown Threat (1)

Uber Technologies Inc. joined Lyft Inc. in asking an appeals court for an extended reprieve on converting California drivers to employees after both companies warned that a rapid overhaul of their business models may force them to suspend operations in their home state.

The ride-hailing firms are trying to buy time after a San Francisco judge issued an Aug. 10 order that upends their business model and may require them to provide hundreds of thousands of drivers with benefits including health insurance and overtime that could cost billions of dollars.

The trial judge who issued the injunction against Uber and ...