The families of drivers in Washington state working for transportation network companies such as Uber and Lyft will receive enhanced survivor death benefits under a new bill passed by state lawmakers.
The bill, HB 2382, provides death benefits under the state workers’ compensation system for drivers and their families regardless of whether they have a passenger or are waiting to receive a trip.
The existing law does not provide drivers with survivor death benefits if a driver is killed while logged into one of the platforms but not driving a customer.
Five rideshare drivers have been murdered in Washington state since 2020, according to the Drivers Union group affiliated with Teamsters 117, including one driver in Edmonds, Wash., last month and another last year in Renton.
The bill passed out of the state Senate on Wednesday in a 32-17 vote. It passed in the House on a 57-40 vote on Feb. 13. The bill now heads to the governor’s desk.
“Victories such as today’s, which support grieving families at a time of immeasurable loss, move us one giant step closer to ensuring that no workers fall through the cracks of our safety net,” Rep. Liz Berry, one of the bill’s sponsors, said in a statement.
