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The idea that Lyft and Uber prey on these “people who can’t find jobs” in record low employment is laughable. There are hundreds of thousands of drivers for Lyf

The idea that Lyft and Uber prey on these “people who can’t find jobs” in record low employment is laughable. There are hundreds of thousands of drivers for Lyft and Uber in California alone. If these were only those poor victims that were preyed upon by Lyft then that would be a huge number. The fact is they aren’t victims or preyed upon. They know how much they get paid and if they want to take the job, they can. If they don’t want, there are plenty of other jobs out there. I know for a fact because I use the jobspotter app and I see hiring signs everywhere.

akudha 8y ago
If they don’t want, there are plenty of other jobs out there Maybe there are lots of jobs there, but do these jobs give the flexibility of working whenever one wants, like Uber does? In life, nothing is as simple as that. Applying the same logic, we can say if a woman is mistreated by her husband/bf, she can simply leave him. If a manager is bad, find another job. If a country is hostile to immigrants, leave and move back home or to another country. And so on. The reality is somewhere in between "just pack up and go" and "stuck indefinitely". Uber/Lyft/Instacart etc are in fact exploiting their drivers simply because they can. The drivers aren't unionized, they aren't getting much help from government regulations (it isn't illegal yet, just immoral and unethical), so they are at the mercy of these gig economy companies. Here is an exercise. Can you name one gig economy company that is treating its workforce well? I am trying, and failing.
- remote_phone 8y ago
  So now Lyft is forced to not only give 100% flexibility to its drivers but also pay above market rates as well? Why? The point is the job is flexible but it pays lower than other jobs. If you are okay with that then take it. If not, leave it. Why does Lyft have to pay more than what the drivers are worth to them as well as provide 100% flexibility? If lyft/Uber/instacart are forced to make them employees instead of contractors then the first thing they will lose is the flexibility. They will likely not be allowed to work for other companies and have to drive X number of hours, etc. The drivers can’t have their cake and eat it too.
  - akudha 8y ago
    If not, leave it. Again, life isn't as simple as that. Maybe it is easy for highly skilled software engineers to pick jobs of their choosing, but for majority of the workforce, it isn't as simple as "leave it". Which is what I am trying to explain. I am simply pointing out that the whole situation is one sided, with these companies having all the power, and Uber (Lyft, Instacart etc) are simply taking advantage of it and exploiting their workforce. Sure, from a pure ruthless business view, it makes sense to pay as little as possible and extract as much as possible. A lot of companies do it and legally, they are not in the wrong. Ethically and morally, they are. And yes, they do prey upon the weakest among us and they do exploit them, you can sugar coat it any which way, but the fact remains.
    - remote_phone 8y ago
      It’s not one-sided. Lyft and Uber have to compete for drivers vs McDonald’s that is paying $15/hr. If the prices they paid were GENUINELY too low, then no one would drive for them. But they have hundreds of thousands of drivers. If you’re somehow saying that only the weakest of the weak are driving for Uber, with no other options, you are delusional and just feeding your own narrative. There is a significant barrier to start driving for Uber. You need a relatively new car with insurance and registration, drivers license, etc. You can’t have that if you’re so weak with no options as you suggest.
- malandrew 8y ago
  Flexibility itself has economic value to workers. The Value of Flexible Work: Evidence from Uber Drivers https://www.nber.org/papers/w23296?sy=296 https://www.nber.org/papers/w23296?sy=296 There are jobs that pay more with less flexibility. These individuals are free to pursue those jobs. Personally, I would easily trade a third of my salary in exchange for the flexibility of 4 months of vacation each year if my employer offered it. I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting to trade salary for flexibility because flexibility has greater marginal utility to me.

akudha 8y ago

If they don’t want, there are plenty of other jobs out there Maybe there are lots of jobs there, but do these jobs give the flexibility of working whenever one wants, like Uber does? In life, nothing is as simple as that. Applying the same logic, we can say if a woman is mistreated by her husband/bf, she can simply leave him. If a manager is bad, find another job. If a country is hostile to immigrants, leave and move back home or to another country. And so on. The reality is somewhere in between "just pack up and go" and "stuck indefinitely". Uber/Lyft/Instacart etc are in fact exploiting their drivers simply because they can. The drivers aren't unionized, they aren't getting much help from government regulations (it isn't illegal yet, just immoral and unethical), so they are at the mercy of these gig economy companies. Here is an exercise. Can you name one gig economy company that is treating its workforce well? I am trying, and failing.

remote_phone 8y ago
So now Lyft is forced to not only give 100% flexibility to its drivers but also pay above market rates as well? Why? The point is the job is flexible but it pays lower than other jobs. If you are okay with that then take it. If not, leave it. Why does Lyft have to pay more than what the drivers are worth to them as well as provide 100% flexibility? If lyft/Uber/instacart are forced to make them employees instead of contractors then the first thing they will lose is the flexibility. They will likely not be allowed to work for other companies and have to drive X number of hours, etc. The drivers can’t have their cake and eat it too.
- akudha 8y ago
  If not, leave it. Again, life isn't as simple as that. Maybe it is easy for highly skilled software engineers to pick jobs of their choosing, but for majority of the workforce, it isn't as simple as "leave it". Which is what I am trying to explain. I am simply pointing out that the whole situation is one sided, with these companies having all the power, and Uber (Lyft, Instacart etc) are simply taking advantage of it and exploiting their workforce. Sure, from a pure ruthless business view, it makes sense to pay as little as possible and extract as much as possible. A lot of companies do it and legally, they are not in the wrong. Ethically and morally, they are. And yes, they do prey upon the weakest among us and they do exploit them, you can sugar coat it any which way, but the fact remains.
  - remote_phone 8y ago
    It’s not one-sided. Lyft and Uber have to compete for drivers vs McDonald’s that is paying $15/hr. If the prices they paid were GENUINELY too low, then no one would drive for them. But they have hundreds of thousands of drivers. If you’re somehow saying that only the weakest of the weak are driving for Uber, with no other options, you are delusional and just feeding your own narrative. There is a significant barrier to start driving for Uber. You need a relatively new car with insurance and registration, drivers license, etc. You can’t have that if you’re so weak with no options as you suggest.
malandrew 8y ago
Flexibility itself has economic value to workers. The Value of Flexible Work: Evidence from Uber Drivers https://www.nber.org/papers/w23296?sy=296 https://www.nber.org/papers/w23296?sy=296 There are jobs that pay more with less flexibility. These individuals are free to pursue those jobs. Personally, I would easily trade a third of my salary in exchange for the flexibility of 4 months of vacation each year if my employer offered it. I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting to trade salary for flexibility because flexibility has greater marginal utility to me.