Comments

1
Is it rude to ask one's Uber driver about their views on this matter? Or will it make the passenger seems like some anti-union spy gathering data?
2
Weighted voting is the answer. Full-timers = a full vote, half-timers = 0.5 vote and so forth.
3
"claims that process was 'arbitrary,' 'capricious,' and 'piecemeal,' " Yep, sounds like the Seattle process.

"and 'denied the public a meaningful opportunity to comment.' " Now wait a minute, that's just not possible here.
4
Dear Heidi and every other parrot-voiced writer,
Uber IS NOT "ridesharing"; it's just a TAXI in an unmarked cab. And, lest you be confused, Airbnb IS NOT "homesharing"; it's a short-term rental agency for private homeowners. When you charge a monetary fee for a service, it is no longer "sharing"; it's SELLING. Please consider amending the Stranger style guide (on the off chance that it exists.)
5
I'm shocked that awful, sleazy company Uber that exists almost exclusively as a vehicle for union-busting continues to be engaged in awful, sleazy attempts at union-busting.
6
@2:

But who gets to make that determination? It's my understanding a lot of Uber drivers work a flexible schedule, perhaps "full time" some days or weeks and part time others. Additionally, there's generally no distinction made between the two categories from the union side: you aren't a "part-time union member" by virtue of the fact that you only work a part-time schedule, so why shouldn't someone paying full-dues also receive full benefits as well as full representation?
7
@4:

But those are the terms commonly used in - and more importantly BY - the industry. We can argue to legitimacy of the semantics and meaning, but it does seem germane to the discussion to utilize these terms to provide a common frame of reference. Everyone gets that, regardless of how they're described, they're transactional in nature.
8
Its a fucking taxi. They can follow taxi rules. Don't like the rules they pay a bunch of dickheads with clipboards to harass pedestrians and maybe you can change the rules.
10
@7 we don't have to play their semantic games: they are just a taxi company trying to prevent their employees from unionizing to engage into another race to the bottom labor cost.
12
Oddly enough, the brainchild behind this is none other than Andy Stern. The Andy Stern who formerly was president of Service Employees International Union, SEIU. Stern is now a top adviser to Uber. One of the master plans he is currently working on is relaxing guest worker programs and retooling overtime laws to benefit employers.
13
@11:

And in return for dues, union members get representation: at the bargaining table when it comes time to negotiate contracts, at the workplace when employers unfairly punish workers, and within the union itself when it comes to electing their leaders and formulating policy. Or do you believe unions and union staff should provide all those services for free?

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