For years, Uber and unions have fought over how drivers are classified, how disputes are handled, and workplace protections. If passed, the proposal would let self-driving cars and delivery vehicles operate broadly across Washington. Against a backdrop of growing friction between Uber and Alphabet's Waymo, the fight over the D.C. measure has become a sharp new split. Harry Hatfield, Uber's director of AV and AI policy, said during a public hearing in mid-July: "We support the extension of autonomous vehicles, and we appreciate the council's willingness to engage on this issue." He argued the bill largely ignores the workforce transition. In 2024, roughly 35,000 gig drivers worked in the city, about 9% of D.C.'s workforce. The wider Washington region shed more than 100,000 jobs over the past twelve months, mostly tied to federal layoffs. National safety worries have also fueled public resistance to self-driving deployment. Crystal Middleton, who drives part time for a ride-hailing app and belongs to 32BJ SEIU, stated the worry directly. "I cannot understand why, when D.C. is in the middle of an unemployment crisis, the council is considering bringing Waymo, a company that will put thousands of drivers like myself out of work and devastate the local economy," she said. Get the market news that matters in a five-minute read with Market Briefs, our free daily newsletter Even sponsor Councilmember Charles Allen admits the transition will hurt some people. "I was here when Uber came into the marketplace. If we were to pretend we didn't see a loss of earnings for taxi cab drivers, we wouldn't be honest," he said. "At the end of the day, it's a net benefit to my transportation choices in the city. But I can't say I didn't see people who had earned a living as a taxi driver see their