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This is really interesting. Uber and Lyft are trying so hard to recruit drivers in the face of their rapid growth. A strike, or whatever the equivalent is in

This is really interesting. Uber and Lyft are trying so hard to recruit drivers in the face of their rapid growth. A strike, or whatever the equivalent is in this "association", would really hurt them. It flies in the face of Uber's mantra of always available. Given the vulnerability, I expect it won't be too long until we see one, unless drivers' concerns are addressed. You could say with Uber's war chest they could wait out a strike, but again, it flies in the face of their long held core value prop - always on. It will create massive surge conditions. If I was Uber, I'd eat the difference between surge price and normal fare and starve the union out.

HarryHirsch 12y ago
If I was Uber, I'd eat the difference between surge price and normal fare and starve the union out. Let's not think about the children right now, let's think about the drivers instead. When you are between jobs it might easily be you behind the wheel. Think very carefully which of the two dogs in the fight you should support.
- sliverstorm 12y ago
  People around here probably fancy themselves to be the dog that's going to be in charge of the next Uber, so they'd naturally root for Uber.
w1ntermute 12y ago
Kalanick would have to be an idiot (which he's not) to let them unionize. Uber has a ridiculous amount of funding, and I can't imagine any of their investors would oppose them taking advantage of it to starve any unions out. People will forget soon enough that Uber wasn't available for a while, but a union will be like an open wound that just won't go away. After all, if the drivers go to their competitors, then they'll just unionize there too. And once the situation has stabilized, Uber can just undercut their unionized competitors and put them out of business.
- cdcarter 12y ago
  Well, an employer really doesn't get to choose whether or not employees can unionize. They just get to employ unfair and illegal labor practices without much retribution.
  - dsl 12y ago
    Yes they do. Step one is employees forming a union. Step two is negotiating a labor contract. If an employer says no to a labor contract and fires everyone, the employees are back at square one. Back in the day if a union tried to fire everyone and rehire, the union would physically assault scab workers and their families. Hence the close ties between unions and organized crime. (EDIT: I added this part to point out unions do not have any leverage anymore to work with, sorry if you misunderstood it as implying unions still regularly employ violence)
    - deleted 12y ago
      [deleted]
bcoates 12y ago
If I was Uber, I'd get cozy with the Teamsters and use them to defend my interests against competitors, regulations, and the medallion owners.

HarryHirsch 12y ago

If I was Uber, I'd eat the difference between surge price and normal fare and starve the union out. Let's not think about the children right now, let's think about the drivers instead. When you are between jobs it might easily be you behind the wheel. Think very carefully which of the two dogs in the fight you should support.

sliverstorm 12y ago
People around here probably fancy themselves to be the dog that's going to be in charge of the next Uber, so they'd naturally root for Uber.

w1ntermute 12y ago

Kalanick would have to be an idiot (which he's not) to let them unionize. Uber has a ridiculous amount of funding, and I can't imagine any of their investors would oppose them taking advantage of it to starve any unions out. People will forget soon enough that Uber wasn't available for a while, but a union will be like an open wound that just won't go away. After all, if the drivers go to their competitors, then they'll just unionize there too. And once the situation has stabilized, Uber can just undercut their unionized competitors and put them out of business.

cdcarter 12y ago
Well, an employer really doesn't get to choose whether or not employees can unionize. They just get to employ unfair and illegal labor practices without much retribution.
- dsl 12y ago
  Yes they do. Step one is employees forming a union. Step two is negotiating a labor contract. If an employer says no to a labor contract and fires everyone, the employees are back at square one. Back in the day if a union tried to fire everyone and rehire, the union would physically assault scab workers and their families. Hence the close ties between unions and organized crime. (EDIT: I added this part to point out unions do not have any leverage anymore to work with, sorry if you misunderstood it as implying unions still regularly employ violence)
  - deleted 12y ago
    [deleted]

bcoates 12y ago

If I was Uber, I'd get cozy with the Teamsters and use them to defend my interests against competitors, regulations, and the medallion owners.