Uber Wants ‘Legal Clarity’ From DOL to Fend Off Employee Status

Uber Technologies Inc. pushed for the U.S. Labor Department to further refine regulations that could help the rideshare giant defend its business model in ongoing federal court battles over worker wages, including by clarifying that required background checks shouldn’t mean drivers are employees.

Uber provided a comment Monday as part of the public input process for the DOL’s proposal to create a shorter, simpler test for determining when a worker should be considered an independent contractor or an employee under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

Gig workers have sued Uber and others around the country, accusing them of misclassifying ...