Uber, Instacart Lose Appeal to Block Seattle Gig Worker Law (1)

Uber Technologies Inc. and Instacart failed to convince a federal appeals court that a Seattle law establishing termination protection standards for app-based workers unconstitutionally regulates thecompanies’ speech.

Seattle’s courier deactivation law regulates conduct, not speech, and even if it did regulate speech, it would be commercial speech subject to lower scrutiny, Judge Richard R. Clifton said for a split panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The majority affirmed a lower court’s denial of a preliminary injunction sought by Uber and Maplebear Inc., which does business as Instacart.

“The ordinance’s goal is to keep app-based workers ...