Limousine Finder: Uber Challenges Longtime Labor Roles; Bernie Gets Burned

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Uber Challenges Longtime Labor Roles; Bernie Gets Burned

IS UBER A REAL JOBS CREATOR? Reportedly valued at more than $50 billion during a recent fundraising round, Uber faces numerous challenges from municipal taxi regulators and the incumbent tax industry around the world, as well as questions about whether their drivers should be treated as full employees, independent contractors, or something else entirely. Quartz.com article here

INFLUENTIAL LAWYER TAKES ON UBER LABOR PRACTICES: With a raft of lawsuits challenging Uber Technologies Inc. and other startups that summon workers at the touch of an app, attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan has become one of the most influential—and controversial—figures in Silicon Valley. Wall Street Journal article here

India Uber Driver Gets Life Sentence For Rape: Driver Shiv Kumar Yadav, 32, was convicted of rape, criminal intimidation, endangering a woman’s life and kidnapping last month after the 2014 attack on a 25-year-old passenger. Newsweek.com article here

Uber Spooks Rider With Scary Surge Price: A New Mexico woman’s 45-minute ride home from downtown Albuquerque on Halloween night cost $500.17. It was her first time using the popular ride-sharing service. KOAT-TV Channel 7 article and video here

City Of Los Angeles Sued Over Environmental Effects Of TNCs At LAX: The Alliance for a Regional Solution to Airport Congestion alleged that the city improperly relied on exemptions to the California Environmental Quality Act when approving a non-exclusive license agreement for transportation network companies, or TNCs, such as Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. Law360.com article here

Uber Offering Bank Accounts Amid Fierce Competition For Drivers: Uber needs a steady supply of drivers to meet customer demand without charging surge prices—a known turnoff for users. Quartz.com article here

Why Drive? Wait For The Bus? Uber Launches Commuter Carpool Option: A new flat-fee long-distance uberPOOL option aimed at commuters offers pre-priced shared trips into bustling San Francisco. TechCrunch.com article here

Even Bernie’s Doing Uber: Just a couple months ago, Bernie Sanders lambasted Uber as an “unregulated” company with “serious problems,” but financial disclosures by the Democratic presidential candidate reveal that whenever his campaign requires a taxi, they literally always turn to Uber. And Democratic Presidential rival Hillary Clinton, who has blasted the TNC-led gig economy, devoted 41% of her campaign taxi costs to Uber. Daily Caller item here