A well-known Boston labor lawyer is suing Uber, claiming thatthe car service exploits drivers.

The suit filed Thursday in Suffolk County Superior Court inBoston by Shannon Liss-Riordan, who has won major labor lawsuitsrepresenting Starbucks baristas, house cleaners, skycaps, andexotic dancers, accuses Uber of misclassifying its drivers asindependent contractors to avoid paying them the same as employeeswith benefits, according to the Boston Globe.

The suit also claims that Uber does not give drivers gratuitiesfrom riders and that the company “retails a portion of the gratuityfor itself.” If true, this violates Masachusetts tipslaw. Liss-Riordan filed the case on behalf of an Uber drive,but is seeking class action status so the case could apply to otherdrivers.

Liss-Riordan filed a similar labor suit against Uber on behalfof six drivers in U.S. District Court in California, where thecompany is based. If Liss-Riordan wins either case, Uber maybe forced to change a key part of its business model. Because Uberdrivers are not classified as employees, the car-sharing serviceshifts its expense of running the buiness to the workers,Liss-Riordan claims.

Uber is one of the highest-profile example of a company thatfits into the peer economy category. If these services continue togrow, states may need to amend its labor laws and include a hybridemployment classification between freelancer and employee.