Although Uber has claimed that their drivers are independent contractors, New York State Regulators decided to classify the workers as employees. The ruling was a result of two former Uber driver’s bid for unemployment payments. While the decision applies strictly to the two former drivers only, many see an opportunity to “extend the logic” of the decision in order to obtain more rights for Uber and Lyft drivers.
See "Uber Drivers Ruled Eligible for Jobless Payments in New York State", Noam Scheiber, The New York Times, October 13, 2016