In the status quo, drivers are able to turn off their dispatch whenever they want. They can drive 20 hours one week, 2 hours the next, take an indefinite break,

In the status quo, drivers are able to turn off their dispatch whenever they want. They can drive 20 hours one week, 2 hours the next, take an indefinite break, then drive 40 hours. There's no boss, there's no clocking in. There's no getting "fired" for flaking. An employment contract would allow Uber/Lyft to enforce hours and contiguous schedules. On top of that, it's extremely trivial for Uber/Lyft to include exclusivity clauses in employment agreements. It's in their best interests to do that, since they have entire projects dedicated to handling "multi-appers". Keep in mind that traditional taxicab drivers were able to go "off-duty" whenever they wanted because they, too, were independent contractors.