December 29, 2014
By Executive Director Bhairavi Desai, NY Taxi Workers Alliance
New York, NY – Congratulations to Uber who beat out quite the stiff competition to win Grinch of the Year with its $2 "booking fee" on taxi fares (UberT) – stiffing passengers and cheating drivers who will not see a dime of the money. Uber pockets the money. All the while, Uber spin masters shamelessly tell their trusting customers that the increase is in the name of the drivers.
How dare Uber mask its corporate greed in the name of hard-working drivers who will in fact lose fares and tips by this increase.
Uber's real end game is to bring in an economic model called Ride-Share, where private motorists with private insurance and private cars are dispatched professional fares through the App. It is the biggest assault on driver working conditions since leasing was brought in thirty years ago, declassifying taxi drivers as Independent Contractors with no rights to even minimum wage or 8-hour work day or a union or paid time-off, and leaving drivers to fend for themselves with $130-$190 per 12-hour shift lease and gasoline payments before earning a dollar for themselves. Under Ride-Share, Uber doesn't want drivers to be classified as workers at all. There is no job security, Workers Compensation in case of injury on the job, or even liability insurance coverage in case of an accident.
Drivers are driven into deeper poverty while Uber races to the top of Fortune 500.
Is it any wonder why they track reporters and want to finance smear campaigns?
Welcome to the world of Uber. Uber lures in customers and drivers with false promises then manipulates customer expectations of vehicle safety, comfort and insurance, and driver expectations of income. Is it any wonder why major cities in countries across the globe – Germany, South Korea, France, Belgium, India, Vietnam, Taiwan and Spain – are banning their entire operation?
