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Uber Is Using In-App Podcasts To Dissuade Seattle Drivers From Unionizing (theverge.com)
Uber doesn't like unionization, like many corporations. In January, the company sued the city of Seattle to challenge the city's authority to implement a law that would allow ride-share drivers to unionize. The Verge is reporting today that the company has been using in-app podcasts to dissuade their Seattle drivers from unionizing by explaining, in their view, how the city's unionization law would negatively affect drivers. From the report: Uber spokesperson Nathan Hambley pushed back on a story from The Wall Street Journal over the weekend that suggested Uber drivers in Seattle were forced to choose whether or not to listen to the company-produced podcasts every day before they can begin picking up riders. The podcasts, which are produced in a number of geographic markets for Uber drivers, appear as notifications at the bottom of the app that can be dismissed or ignored -- or acted upon to start the latest podcast episode, which usually run under 10 minutes. Drivers are not required to listen to the podcast, said Hambley in an interview. "They are not required to look down at the notification at all. The most prominent button is to go on or offline to accept rides." The notification first appears as the limited message on the left, and, if the driver swipes up, the full message appears. The notification remains at the bottom of the driver screen regardless of whether it is ignored, or if the podcast is listened to or not.
... and that's how the slave trade started.
When you have a system like that of the US of A one tends to wonder they bother complaining at all.
Unions are by the people, for the people.
That's funny. Let me tell you how it really works.
In the USA, unions are by the mafia, for the mafia. Typically the mindset is that they want more dues so that the union boss can be rich. They'll push for things like higher wages or preventing lazy workers from getting shitcanned towards that end. They'll also sabotage the employer whenever possible and throw union members under the bus towards that end as well.
Unions in other countries (especially Europe) tend to be good organizations, just not the ones in the US. European companies tend to like labor unions because it gives them a medium to openly have dialogue with their employees, and collective bargaining can be seen as mutually beneficial for the employee and employer alike. This is why Volkswagen's management tried to get their US employees to unionize; they were expecting European style unionization. However the employees themselves declined because they were a bit more wise about just how corrupt and thuggish UAW really is:
http://www.labornotes.org/2001...
OR it could just be that that's been a steady stream of propaganda from a certain political party and Corporate America for 100 years. A Big Lie repeated over and over again until it "becomes" the unassailable Truth.
Any organization can become corrupt at times but that does not mean that you can automatically assume that all such organizations are all corrupt at all times.
Indeed, it is often the case that the more people need something, the more that unsavoury types will move in. And if they need something desperately and someone rich and powerful opposes them, it's not unthinkable that the unsavoury types could get a little extra "help", if you know what I mean.
There are a lot of things to dislike about Unions. But thinking you can stand up as a single individual and negotiate on an even footing with an organization which is stocked with cash, "Human Resources", lawyers, and the patience to starve you out is pitiably naive.