Seattle on Monday became the first city in the nation to allow drivers of ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft to unionize over pay and working conditions.Supporters erupted into cheers after the City Council voted 8-0 in favor of the legislation, which is seen as a test case for the changing 21st century workforce. The companies strongly oppose it, and several council members acknowledged there would be legal challenges ahead but said it was worth doing. The measure requires companies that hire or contract with drivers of taxis, for-hire transportation companies and app-based ride-hailing services to bargain with their drivers, if a majority shows they want to be represented. Drivers would be represented by nonprofit organizations certified by the city. Seattle has been a national leader on workers' rights, such as gradually raising the minimum wage to $15 and requiring most employers to provide paid sick leave. The National Labor Relations Act does not extend collective bargaining rights to independent contractors. San Francisco-based Uber and others say federal labor law prevents cities from regulating collective bargaining, and the ordinance would violate federal antitrust laws. Opponents also argue it would be costly for the city to implement, it would violate drivers' privacy since their information would be given to the organization, and it would stifle the growth of the on-demand economy.....snip~ http://townhall.com/news/politics-e...us-city-to-let-uber-drivers-unionize-n2093696 What say ye?
More competition means lower prices... Economists see ride-hailing industry as ripe for competition August 26, 2016 - Chinese powerhouse Didi Chuxing's acquisition of Uber Technologies Inc's China operations marked the biggest move yet toward consolidation in an industry that many investors and Silicon Valley pundits view as a winner-take-all game.
Yeah Walt.....Uber made news today they are in the red big time with China.....and this last quarter a loss of 200 million here in the US.
I believe recourse to unemployment compensation at fourteen dollars an hour equivalent, would be a simpler solution.
The legal and physical infrastructure already exists. Our current regime of unemployment compensation is burdensome and ineffective at actually solving simple poverty and capitalism's natural rate of unemployment. I suggest a general tax on firms, instead of our current regime.
What do you mean by, a general tax on firms instead of our regime? So are you saying firms shouldn't be able to write anything off?
General taxes are simpler, like sales taxes. Direct taxes are more complex. Nothing would change on the "back end".
Wow that great uber business model doesnt seem to be lasting long. Is uber the next Theranos? Or will it be Tesla? How long before uber turn a profit do you guys think? How much is uber estimated to be worth again?
How did you make that jump? A "general" tax on firms leads me to believe a straight 1% tax on revenue(or something of that nature), eliminating the structural problem with unemployment insurance. When people are collecting it the most, it receives the least amount of revenue. A flat tax that replaced the myriad of taxes placed upon business sounds a hell of a lot better than the 60+ taxes currently placed upon them.
