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beckman466

This is the ballot initiative that Uber and Lyft pumped $200 million into a misinformation campaign for

https://www.vice.com/en/article/akddx8/proposition-22s-victo...

https://twitter.com/bigblackjacobin/status/12948656847829196...

https://twitter.com/darakerr/status/1299395127253762049

https://www.wired.com/story/200-million-uber-lyft-write-own-...

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Unions with a direct line to the legislature created AB 5. I’m amazed so many people are ok with that while shaming Uber for spending money to encourage voters to overturn it.

It's pretty obvious why someone would be okay with unions lobbying and not okay with corporations doing it. One of the two is at least as democratic as the government itself and it's not Uber.

Yes it's basically the main goal of organized labor to support the best interest of workers by any means, including legislative means. How on earth else are workers supposed to get legal protections against the multi-billion dollar corporations which are trying to give them the worst deal possible?

Except this was a pretty overt land grab to expand the unions into new territory. How did AB5 support existing union members?

From their point of view, they might see the rise in a gig-work as a threat against their workers. After all, if Uber and Lyft are allowed to replace unionized taxi drivers with underpaid "private contractors" with no labor rights, what's to stop someone else from doing it with other industries?

Another main distinction is one pays you and the other charges you.

One is organized against you, and one is organized for you, respectively. You get what you pay for.

I don't think that's true. As a consumer I pay Uber, that internally splits its revenue between unionized and non unionized labor. Both parties want money, and the both charge me for it.

I was referring to the workers who are the only ones who get paid by Uber. They pay union dues.

So not having citizens vote on legislation is the more democratic? Lobbying is?

I never said that having citizens vote on legislation is less democratic. As far as lobbying, both Uber and unions do it and when unions do it, it's far more democratic yes.

How is giving unions a special line to legislators democratic? Because union leaders are elected like company directors?

The reason they have such a special lines is because unions represent tens of thousands of voters, and politicians care about getting their votes. They are a very strong force in deciding elections.

Tens of thousands deciding what’s law in a state with tens of millions sure doesn’t sound democratic. This is the definition of special interest and is the opposite of democratic.

Because unions represent the broad will of a large class of workers, whereas companies like lyft and uber represent the broad will of a handful of investors most of whom don't even pay tax or live in California.

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