05-10-2019, 08:05 AM
(05-09-2019, 08:32 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: I see that nobody is getting the real thing here, not even you. (and I consider you one of the brightest folk on here)
The real issue is a matter of supply and demand. When Uber and the like were in need of drivers, it paid well. Now, that too many people are doing it, the pay goes downs. When objects, commodities, skills, etc. are in demand, the pay is always higher. When a particular market is flooded with people all equally capable of doing the same exact thing, their value goes down. It's the same with any job sector.
Good point. If Uber must treat them as employees they will eliminate a large amount of the drivers. They allowed everyone to join when they were contractors because Uber's cost to on board was minimal. This meant they weren't very selective and demanded very little in terms of production from each individual. If they must carry them as employees then they will have to remove a large portion to offset the expenses, especially in the over saturated markets. They will start demanding certain production standards and most likely scheduled hours as well.
These people protesting ironically enough may be protesting their way out of a job. I actually believe Uber when they say they never planned for these people to be full time drivers because they were never trying to get into being a Taxi company. The idea like a lot of similar ideas in different markets at the time was build a platform to connect suppliers with demand. If you read early articles the idea was "Hey I am heading this direction, let's see if anyone around me is too and I can get paid to go where I was going anyways". Now obviously business models and ideas change, but that was the gist of the starting concept.
As for being mad at what they are paid per trip, in their agreement the rate is set by Uber. Similar to most people your employer can choose to change your pay at anytime for future payments. Similar to any employee you can choose to quit if you do not like the rate you will be paid going forward. They can't change the pay for services already rendered, but simply changing the pay scale is nothing unique to Uber/Lyft.
