Uber is taking a new approach in its fight to keep its drivers out of court and classified as independent contractors.
The company appears undeterred by a federal court ruling earlier this week that rejected its arbitration agreement and expanded a class of drivers seeking employee status and benefits. On Friday, Uber Technologies Inc. released a new driver contract that purports to fix problems that U.S. District Judge Edward Chen of the Northern District of California said made arbitration requirements in the previous agreement unenforceable.
“We believe strongly that our agreements are valid,” an Uber spokesman wrote in an email Friday, “but we are making some changes and clarifications to remove uncertainty for drivers and for us as we work through our multiple appeals on this issue.”
