5 ms·
It's funny that I thought the same thing but from the other side, "it seems a really good news for Uber 'employees' (or workers or whatever you want to call the
by jylam 10y ago
It's funny that I thought the same thing but from the other side, "it seems a really good news for Uber 'employees' (or workers or whatever you want to call them)".
That's something I always try to keep in mind while reading HN, most of us are well paid to do something we love, many of us are entrepreneurs (whatever that means, again), and most (?) of us are americans. Uber drivers are not well paid, and if they are they work 26 hours a day in LA or NYC or any big rich city and don't know if they still will earn enough money in one or two years because Uber will change their contract or let them go if they refuse.
- ethanbond 10y agoOh trust me, I'm not on Uber's side in this battle. Not that I necessarily think drivers should be employees, I haven't put much thought into it. I just hope we can get rid of our obsession with this cash-hemorrhaging law-flaunting business before it permanently changes our cities. We're starting to see cities basically substituting Uber for functional public transit and that's awfully dangerous when the business model isn't even close to sustainable. Rulings like this (regardless of if they're good or bad for Uber) are good for us simply because they give us a bit more signal on where things are going and how to prepare for it.
- kylecordes 10y agoActually I'm not convinced anyone really wins on a case like this, other than those who get paid additional code benefits or salary from past work. Going forward, it seems the more likely outcome for the typical driver is not that they suddenly get more money for future work, but that the job goes away or shrinks.
- UK-AL 10y agoMuch more likely is that the job market for drivers shrinks.
- anuberaway 10y agoMost Uber drivers and customers I meet are very happy with the experience. Scores of them left traditional jobs to drive for Uber because they liked the pay and flexibility. Some of regulation of ride-sharing seems to be done out of a spirit of bitterness that they aren't "following the rules", and it doesn't seem to be in benefit of anyone.
- ethanbond 10y agoWhat do you think regulation does if not punish people for not following the rules?
- serge2k 10y ago> Some of regulation of ride-sharing seems to be done out of a spirit of bitterness that they aren't "following the rules", and it doesn't seem to be in benefit of anyone. Some rules are in place for a reason. The US is sadly awful when it comes to workers rights. It's why Uber can get away with this garbage. It's why "right to work" and "at will employment" laws exist. It's why IT workers are overtime exempt. It's why "union" is a dirty word in many circles. Skirting employment law isn't being DISRUPTIVE! It's just being a scummy business.
- pitaj 10y ago> Skirting employment law isn't being DISRUPTIVE! It's just being a scummy business. No. Treating your workers poorly makes you a scummy business. Not every case of skirting employment law is a case of treating your workers poorly, and not every case of poor treatment is covered by employment law. Conflating legality with morality is a cornerstone of authoritarianism.
- IanCal 10y ago> Scores of them left traditional jobs to drive for Uber because they liked the pay and flexibility. And this ruling won't affect the flexibility at all, and they'll be guaranteed minimum wage (which if the pay really is great won't make a difference at all).