It seems pretty clear that instead of letting people be underpaid (which affects the economy badly anyway) they prefer people to be paid properly.
In Netherlands there's a proposal that employers who use flex workers should actually pay more social benefits for such people. This as these workers will likely need more social security. That cost needs to be on the employer, plus it'll encourage companies to hire people on a permanent contract.
Companies aren't the originators of jobs. Instead, demand for goods/services can reach a threshold that makes corporate organization for profit viable, and in so doing, requires that employees be hired to fill the demand. If there isn't demand for a good/service, then even a company that is providing it will be unable to pay people. On the other hand, if demand for that good/service exceeds the capacity of the company, they will hire more people (and/or more companies will be created to compete for business).
Edit: Looks like some founders looking to create underpaid jobs with no advancement opportunities found my comment /s.
Lol, nope.
My (single) mother drove a NYC taxi cab from 1978 through 1992 (after previous careers playing in orchestras, selling commercial real estate and being a corporate comptroller). The money she earned doing that raised two sons; she was able to invest in 6 medallions (though she was ripped off by her business partner, that's another story) and eventually helped her go back to nursing school.
Many, many cab drivers used to be able raise families on their income. In the 1980s it was a pretty decent, albeit dangerous, way to make a living. There were even whole city blocks, in Midtown, where all/virtually-all of the businesses were related to taxi service and repair (38th street on 10th avenue and another in the mid-60s on I think 3rd or 1st).
In the 90s, for whatever reason that started to become untenable and a rapid exodus of Sikh cab drivers began where they moved their families to New Jersey and started doing black car elsewhere.
Befofe Uber, unless you were at one of the few cabs stands, waiting 1 hour for a cab, that may or may not even show up was not uncommon.
Uber and Lyft have changed people's lives in most places they operate.
How long you had to wait for a cab has nothing to do with driving a cab being a good income.
I've been in cabs pre-Uber all across the US. In places like Buffalo, Albany (any college town, really), all over Long Island, DC, LA, etc., I've talked to loads of cab drivers pre-Uber and they were making okay money.
I used to take 20-minute cab trips in Long Island that cost $100. The zone and per passenger system in Albany made fares very expensive. I knew a student cabbie in Buffalo who paid his tuition and then some ferrying drunks between the campus' and the bars.
Cabs suck ass in most areas of the country because of government regulations granted them exclusive rights at the expense of the consumer. Turns out the consumer will use Uber or Lyft instead of cabs if given a choice. Nothing is stopping cabs from competing.
Also, see Cable TV/broadband Companies.
My comments were purely based on the parent commenter saying that "driving a cab was never a decent living, ask any cabbie", which is false.
This is a derail. Does raise an interesting discussion of whether consumer convenience should always be optimized for though.
If you look at clothing, it's convenient and cheap because of an exploitative labor market built on appalling wages and child labor. Maybe I don't want the pilot of my plane or driver of my car working under those conditions though...
1. A position is advertised as independent contractor
2. A person chooses to fill the job as an independent contractor while being compensated EXACTLY as agreed
3. The person sues to be considered an employee
In situations like that, it’s really difficult for me to side with anyone but the business.
Check out Exhibits 2/3 and decide for yourself what side you think Uber drivers fall on.
When every job you can get sucks, what are you going to choose to do if the terms are massively unfair and inequitable? starve to death?
Wouldn't it be nice if you could make a living being a 'fry cook?' When you leave work you could just kiss off and go have dinner, go bowling or whatever.
Each day would be self contained. There wouldn't be bad dreams tossing and tuning you because your project isn't going well at work.
Why do we celebrate this race to the bottom? There have been such stunning increases in productivity, so in theory we could all work a few hours a week and enjoy 1950s living standards.
Would that be so bad?
There's no law preventing you (or anyone else) from opening (or co-investing in) a food establishment that pays high salaries and provides benefits to fry cooks.
I think most people don't realize how thin the margins really are on food services stuff. Or even most services.
To increase salary of fry cooks and drivers to be better. You need to charge more. But if everyone else is already on tight budgets then they also need increases in salary as well.
And now it becomes a bigger economical issue. I know it's not a zero sum game and I'd like to see everyone's wages increase. But it's a hard bigger problem.
1) Improve your skill set and move up within restaurant industry, hopefully towards high-end cuisine or managerial position.
2) Get out of the industry altogether and acquire some specialization like a plumber’s or electrician’s license.
3) Use the paid gig to acquire skills, remain in the industry but readjust your stake to equity instead of salary, by running a food truck, a burger stand or a pop-up taco spot.
All venues pretty much scream “Get out of this fry cook gig as soon as you can. There’s no outcome where you’re guaranteed a happy retirement and a golden watch”.
I strongly believe everyone below ~$50-60k a year in the US should be paid more, but that's a separate conversation. In a world where teachers, firefighters, policemen, social workers etc. earn $35-50k a year + benefits, it feels wrong to complain about ridesharing drivers making $35k-50k a year without benefits.
There are plenty of drivers who made a good living. I had a friend in college from britain. His father was a taxi driver and who was able to provide for his stay at home wife, send his 3 kids to college ( one to NYC ) and buy a vacation home in spain. A solid middle class living as a taxi driver. So your premise about drivers always making shit pay is verifiably false.
But I do agree with you that uber is a disruptive technology and a middle class life as a driver is not something that can be maintain in today's environment.
When you see a poor person struggling, remember that your public arguments contributed to their plight. If that even resonates with you.