Let Uber’s Drivers Alone, Joe

Pres Biden is accused of going after Uber’s “Gig Workers” by calling them “employees” rather than “independent contractors”. But, isn’t real Q why Joe can’t let these folks, like voters, tell boss, like him, to “kiss off”?

Mind you, the WSJ editorial isn’t concerned just about Uber drivers trying to eek out a living driving when, where & how they want. But, the Biden Administration’s proposed “new Labor rule would reclassify MILLIONS of independent contractors” across the country. The short of it is, “The labor market is cooling while more Americans are using side hustles like driving for Uber to cope with rising prices. Yet now the Biden Administration is declaring war on the so-called gig economy and countless companies that utilize freelancers.”

Oh, but aren’t those mega-minions ripe for unionizing and maybe adding to Joe’s political party’s war chest? The editorial board thinks so. Of course, the Biden Camp is arguing these workers are NOT free to do what they want let alone when or where; often, they are closely monitored & get few if any worker “benefits.” But, in retort, the giggers will insist that no matter how controlling or demanding their CLIENTS are, they still very much can set their own hours & work for multiple companies at the same time. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act is supposed to say what constitutes an “employment” relationship & the US Sup Crt in the 1940s laid out a multi-prong “economic reality” test to help out with the close calls. As the WSJ notes, “You can see how a job can swing both ways.” But, at the end of this Uber-driven road, the editors conclude that Joe is “proving” only that he’s an “equal-opportunity jobs killer.”

Davd Soul