NEW YORK, Rabi'I 23, 1438, December 22, 2016, SPA -- A New York City advocacy group says a third former Uber driver has been deemed to have been an employee of the company, not a contractor, according to AP. The New York Taxi Workers Alliance said Thursday that the determination by the state labor department makes Jeffrey Shepherd eligible for unemployment benefits. It says Shepherd was forced to quit working for Uber because he often earned below minimum wage after car leasing and other payments were deducted from his paycheck. Uber is appealing. The company says the driver was previously designated as a contractor but applied again. It says he can't drive for Uber because he no longer has a commercial license. In October, two other Uber workers were declared employees. The agency says confidentiality regulations prohibit it from commenting. --SPA 23:50 LOCAL TIME 20:50 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w296949