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posted by takyon on Tuesday September 10 2019, @08:44PM   Printer-friendly
from the autonomous-car-turbo-button dept.

California Democrats are poised to pass landmark employment legislation over the objections of two of the companies that would be most affected: Silicon Valley ride-sharing giants Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc.

The bill already passed the State Assembly 59-15 and is expected to be voted on in the state Senate before the legislative session ends on Friday, possibly as soon as Monday night. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he would sign the bill, which intends to force companies that rely on “gig workers” to reclassify them as employees, likely upending the business model of those companies.

Uber and Lyft have spent much of the year pushing lawmakers to alter the bill or exempt them. That effort has failed against opposition from labor unions and a large Democratic majority in Sacramento. The companies have argued the bill would introduce new costs and logistical challenges that would be bad for them and many of their employees, who prefer job flexibility. If the measure becomes law, it is expected to have national repercussions given California’s economic importance and history of creating precedent-setting business regulations.


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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by barbara hudson on Tuesday September 10 2019, @11:28PM (4 children)

    by barbara hudson (6443) <barbara.Jane.hudson@icloud.com> on Tuesday September 10 2019, @11:28PM (#892450) Journal

    The driver isn't negotiating with the client - hence the driver isn't entering into a contract with the client, and can't be considered a contractor.

    Surge pricing puts this in the spotlight - the driver STILL isn't negotiating the rate, even when they would have huge leverage. It's all done by the rideshare company's algorithms.

    Anyone who's done contracting knows that you'll get customers who will try to play the "I can get it for less from $SOMEBODY_ELSE" game, and that the best thing to do is just say you aren't willing to do it for that price, thank them, and stay on good terms for the next time.

    Negotiating a contract isn't always the end result of negotiations, but it requires negotiations. Ride-share drivers don't get to negotiate a contract with their customers.

    It's like taking a taxi - the price is what's on the meter, unless you negotiate a fixed price in advance, which is what a lot of small businesses do for small package deliveries via taxi, negotiate a contract. A package doesn't puke on the back seat, doesn't get confused as to where they're going, doesn't ask to stop by the ATM to get the cash to pay for the ride, and isn't going to make a fuss if you stop to use the washroom or buy something to eat.

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  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday September 11 2019, @01:35AM (2 children)

    by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Wednesday September 11 2019, @01:35AM (#892485)

    Uber's business model depends on them exploiting someone.

    If they can't exploit the customers then they need to exploit the drivers because if they don't they have no unique selling point.

    Where I live we deregulated our taxi industry 20 years ago, and it was a total shit-show for a couple of years as every man and his dog with a smoke-belching old wreck decided they were a taxi driver forcing the price down to the point where no-one made any money.

    As soon as the unreliable and incompetent went out of business, the industry settled down. Taxis are cheap and plentiful, but the drivers can make a living.

    That is the market Uber has try to compete in, and guess what? They can't. They not cheaper, the cars are not better and their App doesn't do anything the taxi companies apps don't do.

    The last I heard they are really struggling to find drivers, so the service is not even that good anymore.

    I guess that only leaves the shareholders left to exploit really and I'm not sure how they manage that while they lose $2 billion every year.

    • (Score: 2) by krishnoid on Wednesday September 11 2019, @05:24AM (1 child)

      by krishnoid (1156) on Wednesday September 11 2019, @05:24AM (#892550)

      Where I live we deregulated our taxi industry 20 years ago, and it was a total shit-show for a couple of years as every man and his dog with a smoke-belching old wreck decided they were a taxi driver

      Zombies aren't really well-known for their car (or body) maintenance. Dogs, well ... I guess on Uber, nobody knows you're a dog.

      They not cheaper, the cars are not better and their App doesn't do anything the taxi companies apps don't do.

      Taxi companies have apps? This is news to me, I guess (at least in the US).

      • (Score: 2) by deimtee on Wednesday September 11 2019, @05:44AM

        by deimtee (3272) on Wednesday September 11 2019, @05:44AM (#892554) Journal

        They do in Oz now as well as New Zombieland.
        I would guess that was the best thing to come out of Uber. It forced the taxi companies to modernize and co-operate to provide a better service.

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  • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Wednesday September 11 2019, @07:31AM

    by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Wednesday September 11 2019, @07:31AM (#892583) Homepage
    You're confused by your own presuppositions of employeeness. The client I refer to is Uber/Lyft. Passengers aren't clients, they're just jobs that the client wants them to do.
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