There's been a lot of court cases, but no nationwide precedent set. Even the states that have additional protections don't blanket classify Uber drivers as employees.

That's kind of the whole point of the Uber situation. Right now, they are considered small business owners doing freelance contracts. Uber is intentionally using this to cut operating costs and avoid paying their workers.

Unfortunately, that is the reality, and Gavin newsome saying it's wrong, even in a formal executive order sense, means nothing.