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Uber's defense is that it is licensing lead generation software to drivers, and that it just takes a commission from each trip as payment for use of its software. In many ways, I can see it. I think the issue lies in a lot of Uber's current policies around drivers e.g. very strict rules around cancellations. If Uber was just a lead generation provider then it shouldn't care or intervene if a driver decides they don't…
An outcome like that may be possible here as an unintended consequence, with Uber and Lyft capping most drivers at 20hrs a week, and full time drivers splitting their time between the two (20hrs for each).
Whether or not Uber drivers are employees or contractors under Dynamex and the ABC test is an open question, but the Uber explanation of the bill's impact is more or less correct.
So basically their tactic is to eke out a few more years out of their business model as their fight with California over the classification slowly snakes its way through the courts to the California supreme court, and hope that in the meantime they can come up with a better business model? It is actually not a terribly bad idea. They have the money to pay for the slow court battle, and it is strictly cheaper than com…
As someone who drives Uber on occasion when I'm a little bored and looking for something to do, I think it's great that I'm not an Uber employee. I can do 10 hours or I can do 0 hours based on nothing but my own whim. I don't have a problem with people organizing to get a better deal for themselves, but I like the way it works now. I've worked for companies that misclassify workers, and Uber isn't it as far as I unde…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Edit: Removed my comment as it conflicted with the guidelines
This is against Hacker News guidelines: "Please don't make insinuations about astroturfing. It degrades discussion and is usually mistaken. If you're worried, email us and we'll look at the data." https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
> drivers’ work is outside the usual course of Uber’s business What... how... I don't even know where to begin with this.
Cool I look forward to Uber drivers showing up with a rickshaw or giving piggy back rides.
When the ACA passed, mandating that large employers offer health insurance to all full time employees, there was a massive push by large employers in retail and food service to cap people's hours and make sure very few qualified as full time. This was because health insurance costs employers about $10k per employee per year, and if you are paying someone $10/hr ($20k/yr at 40hrs a week), raising labor costs 50% is a…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
There is very little downside for the employee to be classified as such rather than as a contractor. The vast majority of the downside is for the employer. I'm a W-2 employee at the company I work for, and they don't dictate my hours.
Don’t forget the “exempt” vs “non-exempt” status for W-2 workers though.