With help from Teamsters, LA Uber drivers try to organize

Re:With help from Teamsters, LA Uber drivers try to organize by forrestthewoods on Tuesday June 24, 2014 @09:30PM (#7941758)

I think it sucks that Uber drivers aren't direct employees of Uber. Were they once upon a time? I forget. Anyhow, it's just a bullshit game for Uber to avoid regulations. It'd be much better for everyone involved if drivers could just be salary employees.

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Re:With help from Teamsters, LA Uber drivers try to organize by MarkPNeyer on Tuesday June 24, 2014 @10:21PM (#7941913)

> It'd be much better for everyone involved if drivers could just be salary employees.

uber probably wouldn't exist if this were the case. the cost overhead of hiring someone would mean drivers would have less freedom - no moonlighting for lyft or sidecare - and rates would be higher.

isn't it better to look at ways of changing the employer/employee dynamic instead of insisting that everything work that way?

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Re:With help from Teamsters, LA Uber drivers try to organize by jassinpain on Tuesday June 24, 2014 @10:39PM (#7941955)

Please explain your logic? As a user of uber the experience is so much better then a cab. If a driver does not perform to very high standard they are cut out of the system with customer reviews. For the drivers I talk to ( 6x trips a week) they love the flexility and money. The only reason your hearing anything is taxi shields are a scam. They are now a commodity that is "rented" while the companies sit there and trap the drivers with high rental fees. Sure it's not perfect but I feel safer in a Uber car then a cab. They usually drive better, there is a lot of who's car I got in, where I was picked up, when the ride started, and where it ended. In a cab you have none of these.

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Re:With help from Teamsters, LA Uber drivers try to organize by MarkPNeyer on Tuesday June 24, 2014 @11:17PM (#7942068)

i'm not sure how we disagree. my point was to GP - that making uber hire all of the drivers wouldn't benefit the drivers, the customers, or uber. it would benefit the cab unions though.

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Re:With help from Teamsters, LA Uber drivers try to organize by sliverstorm on Tuesday June 24, 2014 @09:46PM (#7941811)

it's just a bullshit game for Uber to avoid regulations

That generally seems to be a critical part of their business strategy...

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Re:With help from Teamsters, LA Uber drivers try to organize by jjoonathan on Tuesday June 24, 2014 @11:35PM (#7942099)

Which is fine if you think the regulations are outdated.

The fact that drivers have tracked feedback, pre-negotiated prices, and a dispatch system that isn't overwhelmed by surges effectively negates the market failures that the regulations were originally designed to fix. I suspect that the regulations were a net value-add for most of their existence, but now that the smartphone age has enabled a market solution it's time to reevaluate the necessity of the regulations.

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Re:With help from Teamsters, LA Uber drivers try to organize by adventured on Tuesday June 24, 2014 @09:34PM (#7941779)

What's the break-down on how many taxi drivers are employees vs independent contractors?

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Re:With help from Teamsters, LA Uber drivers try to organize by jassinpain on Tuesday June 24, 2014 @10:32PM (#7941938)

As far as I know almost zero taxi drivers actually work for the cab company. What they actually do is rent the cab license and car as contractors.

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