How is this unethical? This is the exact point of these marketplaces - The drivers are saying "I won't accept a fare at these levels", Uber is responding by raising the price (and it's pretty transparent to consumers - The whole point of "surge pricing" is to incentivize drivers that would otherwise not be on the road). The multiplier framework is pretty clear upfront when you're paying more.
This sounds like a fix to one of my major complaints about Uber. The prices are too low. I like cheap rides, but I also like knowing that the people who are giving me rides (and providing me services, selling me goods, making those goods, etc) are making living wages.
And, to some level - This is collective bargaining. This is precisely what Unionists want, without all of the mess involved in actual unions. The drivers are collectively demanding higher wages, and Uber is responding.
On the other hand: There's a good reason we're seeing this pushback. Uber is a shitty, predatory company, and has relentlessly worked to drive down driver wages well beyond sustainable rates. (It's also a shitty company to it's full time employees, to which I will attest.)