California is the second state to allow ride-hailing drivers to unionize after Massachusetts, and Illinois last week passed a law to allow its drivers to do the same. The Public Employment Relations Board notified the California Gig Workers Union last week that it had signed up at least 30% of active drivers, a threshold allowing it to represent ride-hailing drivers statewide. Vikaas Shanker, a driver in Fresno who identified himself as a leader of the new union: “Uber and Lyft systems silo and separate us drivers from each other, right? California has about 350,000 ride-hailing drivers right now, according to Riko Mendez, chief elected officer of SEIU Local 521 in San José. The drivers union has been preparing drivers for bargaining and hopes to begin bargaining with the ride-hailing companies by the end of the year, Mendez told CalMatters in an interview.