When software companies switch to on-demand flex labor at below minimum wage everyone on this site who supports Prop 22 will be singing a different tune.
Software engineering isn't something everybody in the country can do at the drop of a hat.
If somebody wants to be a full time driver-employee, there are taxi firms/limousine companies/bus driving companies/courier companies.
They don't want that though.
They want the freedom that comes with picking your own hours using a low effort/common & widespread skill(driving a non-commercial vehicle).
Also, the site fiverr and similar sites already exists(as well as entire outsourcing industries) if somebody does want to have their software developed by transient programmers.
Is it possible that the market forces set the floor on engineer wages, not the legal system?
So it's true that if you're sitting outside an airport at 3am when no one is there you won't be getting paid. But as soon as a plane lands and you accept a passenger, you'll get paid for the time you spend driving to pick them up AND the time after you pick them up.
Similarly, if you accept a food delivery in the app but the food isn't ready when you get to the restaurant, you'll get 120% minimum wage while waiting for the cook to finish
https://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/the-uber-lyft-ballot-initia...
That link contradicts your claim that drivers are only compensated for the time spent with passengers
That link is attempting to calculate take-home pay after taxes, health insurance, etc. Minimum wage is pretax, so even regular employees aren't making minimum wage once they've paid for their income taxes, social security, Medicare, disability insurance and health insurance. Imo its nonsensical to compare gross against net pay