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I think the root of the problem is that the drivers are contractors not employees, so have fewer rights. And that's at the heart of the idea behind the sharing economy, that independent individuals with a resource can offer that resource to the marketplace at ad hoc times.

Whether or not the article is right is another matter, obviously.

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I guess I have a different view of "sharing economy".

There are many other businesses which facilitate the connection of contractor to customer, but we don't call them part of the sharing economy. This is true even when they provide the tools (e.g. car) in addition to their services (e.g. driving). The fundamental difference for me comes down to whether they are providing this service as their primary means of livelihood (in which case it's a job), or are they simply looking to make better use of a resource (e.g. car) that they already own but do not fully utilize.

Uber seems to be used for both "job" and "share," but the problems seem to be with the former.

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