Instacart offers some contractors part-time employment - CNET: "Instacart has already raised nearly $275 million to grow its business, which was founded in 2012 to pick out and deliver groceries from stores including Whole Foods, Petco and Costco.
Regulators and lawyers have looked into the employment models of some on-demand services, particularly Uber, the ride-hailing service that's now one of the most valuable venture-backed companies in the world. The California Labor Commission earlier this year ruled against Uber, saying one of its contract drivers should have been classified as an employee and ordered the company to pay her $4,152 in expenses. Uber, which is appealing the decision, could face substantially more costs, including Social Security, health insurance, paid sick days, gas, car maintenance and much more if all its drivers are eventually deemed employees. Labor lawyer Shannon Liss-Riordan also is suing Uber on behalf of drivers and their classification as contractors.
Plenty of other on-demand services have created similar models to try matching Uber's success, including ride-hailing rival Lyft, odd-jobs marketplace TaskRabbit, cleaning and handyman service Handy, and delivery-service Postmates."
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Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Uber heads to court over how it classifies its drivers - CNET
Uber heads to court over how it classifies its drivers - CNET: "In the wake of this battle, several on-demand companies appear to be re-thinking the independent contractor classification. The grocery-delivery startup Instacart said in June that it's switching hundreds of its personal shoppers from contract workers to part-time employees. And house-cleaning startup Homejoy announced in July that it was permanently shutting down after being sued over the classification of its workers. Several similar lawsuits have also popped up against other on-demand companies, including Homejoy, Postmates, Handy, Shyp and Washio."
'via Blog this'
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Tuesday, August 4, 2015
4 Uber drivers cited at LAX have serious criminal records LA times 080415
4 Uber drivers cited at LAX have serious criminal records
At least four men who were ticketed by Los Angeles International Airport Police while driving for Uber’s low-cost car service have criminal convictions that would bar them from operating a taxi in Los Angeles, records show.
The drivers have been convicted of child exploitation, identity theft, manslaughter and driving under the influence, according to court records. Each offense would make them ineligible for a city of Los Angeles taxi permit.
The criminal histories recently came to light when a representative of the taxi industry presented a city official with a binder containing citations and court records for eight Uber drivers who were cited for minor violations at the airport over the last 18 months. The Times obtained a copy and independently confirmed that the records were accurate.
Four drivers mentioned in the files had charges or convictions that would probably not preclude them from applying for a city taxi permit because the incidents occurred more than seven years ago or the violations were misdemeanors.
The disclosures come as the Los Angeles City Council weighs whether to assert jurisdiction over a new airport permit process that would allow Uber and other app-based ride companies to legally pick up passengers at LAX. And they raise new questions about how effectively the transportation giant screens its drivers.
The taxi industry has fought to keep Uber and similar ride-hailing services from operating at LAX, saying that they create unfair competition because their drivers are held to a lower standard than licensed taxi drivers.
Last week, six City Council members moved to reexamine the airport permit process, saying that elected officials should be given time to weigh in on questions related to public safety. If the motion passes Wednesday, the council could veto the policy and send it back to airport officials for revision.
“These are cases that reinforce the need to have this kind of dialogue,” said Councilman Paul Krekorian, who has asked the council to assert jurisdiction over the Board of Airport Commissioners. “They’re very good examples of why it’s important.”
Efforts to reach several of the drivers cited in the records were unsuccessful.
Last year, the top prosecutors of Los Angeles and San Francisco sued Uber, alleging that the company misled consumers over background checks. At the time, San Francisco Dist. Atty. George Gascon called the company’s verification process “completely worthless” because applicants aren’t fingerprinted.
On Tuesday, an Uber spokesperson referred The Times to comments made in a company blog post last month.
In that statement, Uber’s chief security officer, Joe Sullivan, wrote that “every system of background checks that is available today has its flaws” but that Uber’s checks “stack up well” against the taxi industry’s.
In 2014, he wrote, at least 600 people who were licensed to drive taxis in Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco failed Uber’s background check, including 19 people convicted of sex offenses and 36 convicted of DUI.
Sullivan said drivers cannot work for Uber if they have been convicted of any felony, or any violent or sexual crimes, in the last seven years.
One Uber driver who was ticketed at LAX was convicted on 14 counts of felony identity theft in 2012. Under the terms of his five-year probation, he cannot have access to any personal identifying information, including credit cards and debit cards, according to court records. All Uber passengers are required to pay with a credit or debit card, but payments are handled through the app.
Another driver was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in 1998 and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Parole records show that he was released last year. That conviction would not necessarily bar him from driving for Uber, but it would make it difficult, if not impossible, to get a taxi permit.
The city of Los Angeles automatically rejects permit applications from drivers who have been convicted of a sexual or violent felony, reckless driving or a hit-and-run crash that left someone seriously injured or killed.
Drivers must wait seven years after being convicted of other crimes, including misdemeanor offenses involving drugs, weapons, violence and fraud, before being eligible for a permit.
Monday, July 13, 2015
Friday, June 19, 2015
Secure Online Order Form -- CompanionLink ACT
Secure Online Order Form -- CompanionLink: "TOTAL: $14.95 (subscription automatically renews)
By placing an order, you are agreeing to CompanionLink Software's
license agreement and warranty terms.
Click once only. (May take up to 30 seconds. Please be patient.)"
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By placing an order, you are agreeing to CompanionLink Software's
license agreement and warranty terms.
Click once only. (May take up to 30 seconds. Please be patient.)"
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Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Uber Drivers are Employees not Independent Contractors! - Stopuber
Uber Drivers are Employees not Independent Contractors! - Stopuber: "Classifying drivers as employees would be costly for Uber, which relies heavily on contractors. In California, for example, the company would have to reimburse employees for gas, tolls and insurance and would also be on the hook for unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation, Social Security and other benefits.
Uber classifies its drivers as contractors, and requires them to pay expenses from their own pockets. Unlike taxi or limousine services, Uber doesn’t directly employ drivers, nor does it own or maintain the vehicles used by the drivers.
Earlier this month, Uber lost a bid to force arbitration in a federal lawsuit brought in San Francisco by its drivers. Earlier this year, the same court rejected Uber’s bid to deem its drivers independent contractors, saying a jury would rule on their status.
In Florida, a state agency ruled earlier this year that Uber drivers are employees. Uber wake up! The drivers are the backbone of your 50 Billion operation and you should start treating them as employees and not as scabs!"
'via Blog this'
Uber classifies its drivers as contractors, and requires them to pay expenses from their own pockets. Unlike taxi or limousine services, Uber doesn’t directly employ drivers, nor does it own or maintain the vehicles used by the drivers.
Earlier this month, Uber lost a bid to force arbitration in a federal lawsuit brought in San Francisco by its drivers. Earlier this year, the same court rejected Uber’s bid to deem its drivers independent contractors, saying a jury would rule on their status.
In Florida, a state agency ruled earlier this year that Uber drivers are employees. Uber wake up! The drivers are the backbone of your 50 Billion operation and you should start treating them as employees and not as scabs!"
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California labor commission rules Uber drivers are employees - Business Insider
California labor commission rules Uber drivers are employees - Business Insider: "By the way, this ruling isn't just a huge deal for Uber and Lyft. There have been a lot of "Uber for X" startups to follow in their wake: $1 billion startup Instacart, for example, has contract workers deliver groceries; $250 million startup Shyp has regular people mail things for customers. If these companies, which are referred to as the 1099 economy, can no longer have independent contract workers, all of their business models are shot.
And if their business models are shot, that's pretty bad news for investors who have been pouring unprecedented amounts of money into private companies over the past few years.
Their investments have allowed startups to stay private longer and avoid going public or getting acquired. That means venture capitalists and startup employees haven't had much chance to gain liquidity.
So while Uber is a $50 billion company on paper and investors currently look like gods who will get crazy returns someday, many actually haven't actually gotten much cash back yet. This concept — pouring lots of money into companies without seeing a cash return — is called a "dry bubble." And as Uber board member Bill Gurly recently tweeted:
"Wet bubbles (1999) are more fun than dry ones (2015)."
Here's a copy of the Uber ruling, from June 16. Driverless cars are probably starting to look pretty good to Uber right about now.
Uber California ruling"
'via Blog this'
And if their business models are shot, that's pretty bad news for investors who have been pouring unprecedented amounts of money into private companies over the past few years.
Their investments have allowed startups to stay private longer and avoid going public or getting acquired. That means venture capitalists and startup employees haven't had much chance to gain liquidity.
So while Uber is a $50 billion company on paper and investors currently look like gods who will get crazy returns someday, many actually haven't actually gotten much cash back yet. This concept — pouring lots of money into companies without seeing a cash return — is called a "dry bubble." And as Uber board member Bill Gurly recently tweeted:
"Wet bubbles (1999) are more fun than dry ones (2015)."
Here's a copy of the Uber ruling, from June 16. Driverless cars are probably starting to look pretty good to Uber right about now.
Uber California ruling"
'via Blog this'
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