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Uber Drivers Are Independent Contractors, Not Employees, Judge Rules (reuters.com)
Uber drivers are independent contractors, not full-time employees of the ride-hailing company, a federal judge in Philadelphia ruled in what is said to be the first classification of Uber drivers under federal law. Reuters reports: U.S. District Judge Michael Baylson on Wednesday said San Francisco-based Uber does not exert enough control over drivers for its limo service, UberBLACK, to be considered their employer under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. The drivers work when they want to and are free to nap, run personal errands, or smoke cigarettes in between rides, Baylson said. Jeremy Abay, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said he would appeal the ruling to the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The 3rd Circuit would be the first federal appeals court to consider whether Uber drivers are properly classified as independent contractors.
if they are independent contractors, they then have the right to set their own prices for work.
Nonsense. The IRS publishes a long list of criteria, none of which is alone sufficient or necessary for "contractor" designation.
Many contractors DO NOT have the right to set their own prices.
Some employees DO have the right to set prices. This includes many employees paid partly or fully in commissions.