Uber CEO Calls For 'Benefits Funds' for Gig Workers

[the cac mamba]

I think these gig jobs should be completely eradicated. I don't give a fucck that it's potential work for average Americans. It's an exploitative business model that shut be fukking killed. Airbnb looks like it's dying and it looks like this is following suit. Good

if they werent benefiting anyone then they'd die by themselves

do you think uber drivers in california want them to leave the state because uber doesnt buy them health insurance?

how is your high horse opinion from the sidelines replacing this income for people?

 

[Th3G3ntleman]

if they werent benefiting anyone then they'd die by themselves

do you think uber drivers in california want them to leave the state because uber doesnt buy them health insurance?

I just essentially said I don't care how it benefits people. It's a business model that needs to be killed off now.

I don't care what uber drivers want. I care about stopping more gig companies from reaching national prominence.

 

[the cac mamba]

I just essentially said I don't care how it benefits people. It's a business model that needs to be killed off now.

I don't care what uber drivers want. I care about stopping more gig companies from reaching national prominence.

with no proposal how to replace that income, just "you don't like it" for some stupid liberal idealistic reason, so fukk everyone who actually works it and does like it

meanwhile in the real world, i'll continue to accept rides from people who want to drive me from point a to point b, and they'll take my money for it. let us know when you come up with something better

 

[Liu Kang]

i dont disagree that the gig economy is kinda bullshyt, but the fact is that a model where you choose when and where to work is NOT "employment" in the standard sense. its contracting

if my company let us work like uber drivers, the company would not continue to function

so i guess at the end of the day, you can champion the government forcing uber to switch to an employee model, but who asked them to? because it isnt the drivers and it isnt the riders

i dont think uber is bluffing here; they lose money already. so when they pull out of california what's drivers' reactions gonna be?

You say the drivers are contractors because they can choose where and when to work. Why not. But do they choose/negociate their rates with Uber ? The very fact that drivers need tips to earn a decent pay should tell you anything about them being "contractors".

There is a place for a gig model I do not deny that but not at the core of a business model. Uber sneakily implements a system that is predatory in nature because for it to work, the whole Uber business model (which does not even work as they are bleeding money) require workers that cannot see nor have a future in the company. It's exploitative at its very core because they could (in theory because they dont even) only strive on students/retirees/people who need a second or third job to make ends meet. If Uber had 1k drivers and 1M techs then their drivers being contractors would not be an issue but the back bone of the company is the drivers.

With Covid, a good chunk of companies had to evolve with remote working and suddenly workers could decide when and where to work too. Uber wants people to believe that it's about flexibilty vs benefits but at heart I'm sure that it's the whole hour based employment at the office that is the issue.

 

[Ethnic Vagina Finder]

Is this a self admission that drivers are underpaid

They are underpaid because there are too many drivers.

Less drivers meant more money. More money meant drivers would work longer.

Lyft also helped fukk up the game.


Drivers who want to be employees will only make it worse. I guarantee you there would be a purge as a result. They could fired drivers for little to no reason, lay off drivers whenever they wanted. The rating system would play an even bigger part as well. And if a union was brought in, the customers would have to pay double or triple what they pay now.


It would be back to taxis before too long.


Everybody isnt built to be a taxi driver, but these rideshare companies continue to hire any and everybody.

 

[mson]

VC firms lose... f*ck Vulture Capital

How are they vultures?

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

i don't see the issue with the gig economy. in an economy failing to provide enough jobs, the gig economy opened up some low hanging ways to make a quick buck. it was never marketed as a secure, substantial income providing industry/job, simply a supplement. the early gig workers who got in when there were less of them (thus higher earnings) who pimped it as a full time job don't represent the average. that's like looking at the day traders who know wtf they're doing and rack a few hunnid thousand a year in income and then thinking everyone who jumps into trading can do the same.


people are gonna end up killing off the gig economy and then everyone in it will be set further back. it's unrealistic to think these gig companies even have the business structure to support their contractors as employees therefore they'll all fold before this utopian dream comes true. i guess people can be happy these "poor workers" are no longer "exploited", but what's next for them? in a world of automation, outsourcing, lean organizations...i'm not seeing where these workers (the ones who do it FT, not as a side gig) get absorbed into any better situation

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

You say the drivers are contractors because they can choose where and when to work. Why not. But do they choose/negociate their rates with Uber ? The very fact that drivers need tips to earn a decent pay should tell you anything about them being "contractors".

Uber moved to a model where they let drivers set their rates in CA in Jan, drivers can also accept/reject rides without the penalties once imposed. Uber did everything necessary to make them real contractors - the reason this change even had legs was that although they were considered contractors, they couldn't set rates or accept/reject work, now they can, and like any agency that transacts contractors to work, uber takes its percentage. so yes, uber (not the other companies that may be affected by this) definitely took steps to make them actual contractors yet the state is still pressing them to make these people employees. and this isn't for any altruistic reason, it's about payroll tax which CA woefully undercharges to corporations in the first place

 

[Liu Kang]

Uber moved to a model where they let drivers set their rates in CA in Jan, drivers can also accept/reject rides without the penalties once imposed. Uber did everything necessary to make them real contractors - the reason this change even had legs was that although they were considered contractors, they couldn't set rates or accept/reject work, now they can, and like any agency that transacts contractors to work, uber takes its percentage. so yes, uber (not the other companies that may be affected by this) definitely took steps to make them actual contractors yet the state is still pressing them to make these people employees. and this isn't for any altruistic reason, it's about payroll tax which CA woefully undercharges to corporations in the first place

Good to know, I wasnt aware of that. Doesn't change the fact that most of the workforce being contractors is predatory in nature but at least in Cali those drivers look more like contractors if they can set their own rates. I wonder if they will do this globally.

Regarding the taxes, aren't the contractors paying taxes from their business on top of the one for the income ? Shouldn't this be close to a 0 sum for the state ?

 

[Cynic]

How are they vultures?

Long story

 

[FaTaL]

Long story

We got time

 

[Wild self]

Basic Income is the solution, but people don't want to hear that.

 

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

The world keeps spinning regardless. I'd prefer Uber and Lyft to stay in business as an option for people to make money and to get convenient transportation..but the world functioned okay before they came along. I remember having to call cabs in advance to schedule a ride to the bars and having to hail one to get back. Life goes on

 

[mr. smoke weed]

yo i just looked it up and they're doing this here in mass too are you fukking kidding me?

fukking democrats if they kill uber and lyft in mass the backlash is gonna be enormous

Why blame the government, when you can blame the Uber ppl for not providing employee shyt to their employees.

 

[DEAD7]

Why blame the government, when you can blame the Uber ppl for not providing employee shyt to their employees.

Because gov is unnecessarily butting into private transaction/arrangement and making changes neither of the parties directly involved want.
The business model is dying on its own... no reason to intervene and waste more taxpayer money on it imo