State judge rejects Uber suit against Seattle IC law (Fortune)

A Washington state judge denied an effort by human cloud firm Uber to stop a Seattle law that gives independent contractor drivers the right to unionize, Fortune reports. However, a second lawsuit by the US Chamber of Commerce to stop the law is ongoing.

Nominations open for Staffing 40 Under 40 list

Staffing Industry Analysts is creating a 40 under 40 list (for the first time) to be published in the July/August issue of Staffing Industry Review. We recognize that the industry has many stars. Many of our lists feature these stars, but the 40 under 40 list is a tribute to our industry’s young, rising...

Judge approves final $27.5 million settlement in Lyft IC case

A $27.5 million class-action settlement in an independent contractor case against human cloud, ride-sharing firm Lyft received final approval Thursday. The deal impacts more than 200,000 drivers in California.

The lawsuit filed by drivers in California argued misclassification as independent contractors...

ER Select affiliate acquires North Carolina firm

Employee Relations Associates Family of Companies, aka ER Associates, acquired human capital solutions firm TalentBridge USA, effective immediately. ER Associates is an affiliate company of Rochester, NY-based ER Select.

Charlotte, NC-based TalentBridge USA provides professional staffing, executive search,...

ManpowerGroup survey: 20% of employers in Mexico to add staff

Mexican employers reported positive hiring plans for the second quarter, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey released earlier this week by ManpowerGroup Inc. (NYSE: MAN).

The survey found 20% of employers in Mexico forecasted an increase in staffing levels in the upcoming quarter,...

US leading index at 10-year high, points to improving outlook

The Conference Board’s US Leading Economic Index rose in February to its highest level in 10 years. The index rose 0.6% in February to a reading of 126.2 (2010 = 100), following increases of 0.6% in both January and December.

“After six consecutive monthly gains, the US LEI is at its highest level...

People: Lucas Group, Ratliff & Taylor, Protiviti and more

Lucas Group, an Atlanta-based executive search firm, hired Ana Hey-Colón for the newly created role of director of sales and training. She will coordinate and direct Lucas Group’s sales leadership and recruiter training programs. Hey-Colón most recently was senior sales training manager for Abbott...

Uber to push for arbitration in Waymo trade secrets theft case (Fortune)

A lawyer for Uber told a federal judge on Thursday he intended to file a petition to compel arbitration in the Waymo trade secrets theft case, citing an agreement signed by a former Waymo employee who is at the heart of the case, Fortune reported. Waymo, the self-driving division of technology giant...

Will the gig economy make the office obsolete? (Harvard Business Review)

The most impactful lesson that traditional companies can learn from the gig economy is to judge all workers, including employees, on their results, not on when and where they do their work, the Harvard Business Review reports. In the traditional jobs economy, employers often require employee attendance...

IT job growth posts ‘modest’ acceleration in February, TechServe Alliance reports

The number of IT jobs in the US edged up 0.3% in February from January to almost 5.3 million, reported the TechServe Alliance, an association of IT and engineering staffing companies. Year over year, IT employment in the US rose by 3.9% in February, adding 196,200 IT jobs.

“IT employment continued to...