I was perusing YouTube looking for something to watch when I stumbled on a video from The Rideshare Guy. It’s a channel that produces content aimed at people who drive for Uber and Lyft.
The video I watched was about the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. The bill passed the House of Representatives. If it passes the U.S. Senate — something it will never do thanks to the filibuster — President Joe Biden said he would sign it into law.
One of the things the law would do is reclassify independent contractors who drive for rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft as employees.
Here’s is the video:
This is getting so old
If rideshare drivers get classified as employees, they will no longer drive when they want, drive in the area they want, or have the ability to turn down ride requests. Drivers will get told when to drive, where to drive, and who to drive. Drivers will no longer see a rider’s ratings. I doubt riders would even have ratings if the PRO Act becomes law.
Do you think Walmart employees (associates) only work when they want? Do they only assist the customers they want? Do Walmart shoppers have ratings? Nope.
Drivers will not even earn what Walmart employees earn. Here in Maryland, the minimum wage for hourly employees is $11.75 an hour. Not that bad, right? Well, for hourly employees who receive at least $30 a month in tips, the hourly minimum wage is only $3.63 per hour.
Uber and Lyft will make sure drivers get at least $30 in tips each month. All they would need to do is award passengers “tip credits” to “reward” drivers with tips within the app, proving drivers earn at least $30 in tips each month.
I don’t want to join a labor Union
Supporters of the PRO Act know all trouble it will create for Uber and Lyft drivers. They’re counting on it. The goal is to make independent rideshare drivers employees and allow Uber and Lyft to make driver’s lives difficult. Drivers will get assigned shifts to work based on projections. You may be a rideshare driver like me who only drives in the daytime. As an independent contractor, you’re free to do that. Under the PRO Act, Uber and Lyft would get to assign you a shift based solely on their needs. That means you’ll get assigned a lot of nights/early mornings on the weekend, where demand is higher. And you can forget about driving for both Uber and Lyft at the same time.
Need to take two hours off for a doctor’s appointment? Under the PRO Act, you’ll first need to email your supervisor. That’s right. You’ll have a supervisor. You’ll need to clear it with them first. The same applies to time off for vacations and holidays. You’ll need to go into the app and request it.
I know this will happen because it’s precisely how it was every time I was an employee.
Labor unions will then swoop in and “save” drivers from the mess they helped to create. Every failed measure that has been proposed at the state level to make drivers employees has been championed and funded by labor unions. Every politician who has worked to make rideshare drivers employees has received political donations from labor unions.
If the labor unions get their way and rideshare drivers became employees, I would no longer drive for Uber or Lyft. Rideshare driving wouldn’t work for me if I had to follow a set schedule. I need the independence rideshare driving uniquely affords me. I don’t want to punch a clock. Not anymore. I just want to drive complete strangers in my personal vehicle where they want to go, when I want to. I think it was Jesus who said “Strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet.” I agree with that. I shouldn’t get forced to join a labor union to do that.
In conclusion
I’ve reached the point in my life where I thought I could never support the Republican party. I’m no longer a Democrat, but I’m not a Republican either. If the PRO Act were to somehow get through the Senate and get signed into law, I would have to become a Republican. I don’t want to become a Republican. I wish Democrats would stop doing things that make me want to become a Republican.