Gotta say I'm with Bernie on this one - Uber's built up something of a lousy track record when it comes to underpaying their "contractors" (drivers).
The broader issue isn't just with Uber, it is the entire 'gig economy'. What Sanders and others are railing against is the idea of 'casual labour' where the employee sets the terms of their own work. There are hundreds of companies now doing this and they fall outside of current labour laws in most cases. Not only is there nobody to unionize, there is nobody to pay into EI, pension or retirement plans either.
For many workers, the idea of being able to put some cash in your pocket on a Saturday night instead of sitting at home and watching TV alone is attractive and millions of people are doing it. The issues flew below the radar initially as casual work initially just supplemented a 9 to 5. Now a large portion of people are using casual work as their main source of income and forgoing steady jobs. I ran into a local chap on the weekend who is working 5 gig jobs. Absolutely loves it. He can work 80 hours a week or 0 hours a week if he wants to. In his case he sprints for 4-5 weeks and then does some travelling. I envy him.
The CPP board stated earlier this week that they were concerned that the rise of casual labour would undermine their ability to keep the plan viable (although many of us here would argue that the plan hasn't been viable for years). It isn't an issue that is going away, but the progressives have to be careful not to alienate their younger base by trying to regulate it to the point that it is unattractive. Saying that they want to protect worker rights sounds good, but if the net impact is smaller cheques for the casual workers then it will be a problem.
Edited by spanky123, 12 September 2019 - 05:01 AM.