In a ruling that helps define the rights of labourers in the booming gig economy, a federal judge has dismissed a legal challenge to a Seattle ordinance allowing drivers-for-hire to form unions. The lawsuit parallels a national fight over the rights of workers in an industry that relies heavily on independent contractors, rather than full-time employees, to sustain businesses like Lyft and Uber. After a 2015 Seattle ordinance allowing those drivers to form such organisations took effect and a Teamsters union obtained permission to organise workers, the US Chamber of Commerce sued on the grounds that allowing independent contractors to organise violated federal antitrust and labour laws. The organisation, of which Uber and Lyft are members, argued that allowing the ordinance to proceed would stifle competition...A second pending lawsuit will continue to prevent the Seattle ordinance from taking effect. In a statement, the US Chamber of Commerce said that “the City’s unlawful ordinance would stifle innovation and undermine economic growth. We continue to believe it should not be allowed to take effect,” and Uber said in a statement that it planned to appeal against Mr Lasnik’s ruling...