I think “in LA” deserves a mention in the title.
Uber is dropping rates for drivers down from 80 cents/mile to 60 cents/mile
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Re: Uber is dropping rates for drivers down from 80 cents/mile to 60 cents/mile
#42Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Isn’t the proper solution to find another job? If more people stopped driving for ridesharing companies the prices would rise to attract them back. Instead of assuming stupidity on one party's end, why not consider that there is a rational explanation for people's behavior? A very rational explanation is that for many people, driving for Uber beats not being able to pay bills, going hungry or being homeless.
> for many people, driving for Uber beats not being able to pay bills, going hungry or being homeless. So then nothing here is Uber's fault, and Uber shouldn't get any blame. The problem is the the country that make people unable to pay bills, get food or housing, right? I wish Americans would lampoon their own government/country as much as they lampoon big businesses.
> So then nothing here is Uber's fault, and Uber shouldn't get any blame.
Interesting that this is the line of thought that you decided to follow and refute, despite the fact that I never claimed that Uber was at fault for those particular problems a person may face. I'm not really a fan of engaging strawmen.
It's entirely possible that for some people, driving for Uber is a rational choice. It is also entirely possible that Uber is undervaluing their labor and taking advantage of them. Hope this helps.
Re: Uber is dropping rates for drivers down from 80 cents/mile to 60 cents/mile
#43The IRS deduction for business vehicle use in 2019 is 58 cents per mile. So they have effectively reduced the per mile payment to the cost of operating the vehicle. Seems like they are on the verge of turning driving for Uber into a reverse mortgage for your car.
And quite frankly the business model might be to just bank on a steady supply of ex-criminals who have a hard time getting other work and may not understand the financial arrangement they are entering into. Exploit them for a while and when they realize they aren’t making money, just chalk it up to built-in turnover and on to the next unwitting driver.
Re: Uber is dropping rates for drivers down from 80 cents/mile to 60 cents/mile
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think that's the point of the argument you're replying to. Assuming Uber drivers are rational, it means they're better off driving with Uber than they would be otherwise. In which case, why does Uber attract so much criticism? I'd understand if you criticized the general economic/social system that causes shitty jobs to be people's best option, but why criticize specific actors within it that (1) didn't create it,…
> why does Uber attract so much criticism? Because you're looking at the benefits in a vacuum. This is a company the skirts the law and intentionally blurs the line between employee and contractor for profit. It is entirely possible that driving for Uber is a rational choice for some people, and at the same time, that Uber is undervaluing their labor and taking advantage of them. Similarly, in the past, people made t…
> and intentionally blurs the line between employee and contractor for profit.
What profit are they making by doing that?
> Similarly, in the past, people made the rational choice to sell themselves into indentured servitude. People also made the rational choice to sell their children to factory owners or into marriages for dowries.
And are you blaming the person who took them it, or the conditions that led to that?
> Typically, if people had bargaining power through, say, collective action, there would be a corrective force when a sudden unilateral decision to reduce compensation by 25% is made.
But they do have power. They have the power to not work for Uber. If they did that and there were not enough drivers then Uber would raise rates, either permanently or with Surge pricing.
So they actually have MORE power than an employee in the same situation: The employee would lose their job, but Uber drivers can just refuse to work.
Re: Uber is dropping rates for drivers down from 80 cents/mile to 60 cents/mile
#45Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't really understand this argument. Uber didn't create the conditions causing these people not to be able to find better jobs. If Uber stopped "preying on" these people, would they be better off? It seems like they'd just be unemployed.
A slave owner gives an otherwise hungry man food and housing. That doesn't mean slavery is at all justifiable. Uber pays people who otherwise might not have a job at all. That doesn't mean paying them incredibly low wages is something that should be free of criticism.
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Re: Uber is dropping rates for drivers down from 80 cents/mile to 60 cents/mile
#46I think “in LA” deserves a mention in the title.
nah
Re: Uber is dropping rates for drivers down from 80 cents/mile to 60 cents/mile
#47Its like they see developers and drivers as two different species. For every twenty something dev that makes $132K, there is a fourty something trying to rebuild a life post-trauma, doing their best to net $13K. Since insurance and gas aren't cheaper, the driver now will net $6K next year, while the dev would jump ship to another company if they didn't get a $6K bonus. While my head understands the economic principles that drive that reality, my heart doesn't understand how such a thing needs to happen.
Re: Uber is dropping rates for drivers down from 80 cents/mile to 60 cents/mile
#48My girlfriend tried out the Instacart gig for a while as she finally got her chronic low energy and fatigue addressed through B12 shots and wanted something to occupy her and give her a little extra spending money outside of what's budgeted. That experience was absolutely demoralizing in terms of what she was able to actually make. Granted we live in a lower density city in the southeast so that result makes sense. B…
I guess they should form a union and strike.
Re: Uber is dropping rates for drivers down from 80 cents/mile to 60 cents/mile
#49Its like they see developers and drivers as two different species. For every twenty something dev that makes $132K, there is a fourty something trying to rebuild a life post-trauma, doing their best to net $13K. Since insurance and gas aren't cheaper, the driver now will net $6K next year, while the dev would jump ship to another company if they didn't get a $6K bonus. While my head understands the economic principle…
Same with canteen workers, janitors and so forth. It's the reality of this economy without any intervention.
>my heart doesn't understand how such a thing needs to happen.
That's why developers, who have the economic leverage, should stand up for everyone working at their companies, including staff that isn't involved in technical work.
Re: Uber is dropping rates for drivers down from 80 cents/mile to 60 cents/mile
#50Earlier quoted context omitted.
> why does Uber attract so much criticism? Because you're looking at the benefits in a vacuum. This is a company the skirts the law and intentionally blurs the line between employee and contractor for profit. It is entirely possible that driving for Uber is a rational choice for some people, and at the same time, that Uber is undervaluing their labor and taking advantage of them. Similarly, in the past, people made t…
> and intentionally blurs the line between employee and contractor for profit. What profit are they making by doing that? > Similarly, in the past, people made the rational choice to sell themselves into indentured servitude. People also made the rational choice to sell their children to factory owners or into marriages for dowries. And are you blaming the person who took them it, or the conditions that led to that?…
> What profit are they making by doing that?
They're shedding expensive employee entitlements and liabilities.
> They have the power to not work for Uber.
A person's ability to exercise their power is proportional to the their financial security. A hungry person will have to make decisions in desperation to secure their next meal. A person behind on their rent will take whatever opportunity they can to secure a roof over their head.