Alderman: Chicago won't fingerprint Uber, Lyft drivers, city workers

After belatedly registering as an Uber lobbyist, President Barack Obama's former campaign manager addressed aldermen in groups of 10 about a fingerprinting requirement he claimed would have prompted the ride-hailing giant to abandon the lucrative Chicago market.

David Plouffe's behind-the-scenes lobbying is about to pay political dividends for the $68 billion company whose investors include Mayor Rahm Emanuel's brother.

A commission charged with conducting an "independent study" of the value and fairness of fingerprinting is poised to recommend that the city not adopt the requirement for Uber and Lyft drivers - and drop it for other categories of city employees.

Alderman Anthony Beale (9th), chairman of the City Council's Transportation Committee, disclosed the impending findings after participating in "dozens" of meetings over the last nine months on the issues of hiring, background checks and fingerprinting.

"The recommendation is not favorable as far as what I'm looking for. ... They're gonna relax or try to relax the fingerprinting" requirement, Beale said.

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