And that's the problem. This whole union-style protest negotiation tactic is absurd. They are not entitled to a better deal as long as other workers are able, willing and qualified to step into their shoes and do the job. You work or you are out, it's pretty simple.

Given Uber's recent history with authority, I wouldn't be surprised if some shady organization employed all these unhappy people to go and protest. Most like, actually.

This supposedly free market anti-labourer rhetoric is absurd: If market participants organise as a company, they seem have every right to negotiate as a whole to get a better deal. What is your problem with just another type of market participant organising and negotiating as a group?

With the drivers acting as a group, the other party would now have to replace most of them (excluding defectors), not one of them, which is more difficult, giving the group a better negotiating position. No entitlement, just free markets and game theory.

Your use of the word "entitled" is truly patronizing. Even from your own free market perspective, in a free market you are entitled to what you can get. If you have money, you are free to use it as you wish, and if you have friends you are free to unionize to try to get as much as you can. It's all a power struggle. One side is not any more entitled to anything than the other. They fight it out.

Also, your use of the word "authority" is wrong. Judging by Uber's recent bouts with elected representatives of the people and democratic institutions, and their relative success, I'm not sure where "authority" lies: with "corrupt institutions" or with "stinking money". To continue your conspiratorial line of thought, I'd say that I wouldn't be surprised if Uber's successes are a result of bribery (In fact, there is more reason to believe the latter, as you and I were both present when a certain man of influence bragged to a large crowd about something along the same lines.)

That's all from the free-market perspective. From a social responsibility perspective, I don't understand why a company feels entitled to fire working people when they like, without a proper hearing.

>And that's the problem. This whole union-style protest negotiation tactic is absurd. They are not entitled to a better deal as long as other workers are able, willing and qualified to step into their shoes and do the job. You work or you are out, it's pretty simple.

That's funny, because in countries where there's no prevalent disdain for trade unions, this tactic actually works and gets workers good deals. This is only absurd for employers, who'd like to get more work done and pay less.

Everyone is entitled to some basic level of human decency in their interactions with others; our society relies on this. And we are also entitled to draw attention, in any legal manner we choose, to a situation where we feel that we are not being treated appropriately. Freedom of speech and freedom of assembly is there for a reason, and it's not automatically evil just because you don't agree with the ends.

Freedom of speech and assembly have nothing to do with this. And they're not freedom from repercussions by private actors, but merely freedom from government force.

I personally think tactics like these are counterproductive and that it'd be better to handle it internally.

I'm not sure, but I'm willing to guess that it probably isn't possible to handle it "internally" when you have been fired for a 4.7 rating. I mean, Uber ignored them when they were in front their building. Do you think Uber did that because they thought a phone call would have been more polite?

I definitely don't see how it was counter productive though, if they were standing out there to bring more attention to the situation.

Well that's just fucking dumb. It's a free market with at-will employment, ain't it? These workers are entitled to use what leverage they have as they please, and that includes to organize and strike for better pay and working conditions.

If you don't like it, move to some country where the state actively oppresses workers and suppresses the price of labor for the Greater Glory of Capital. Oh wait, you already live in the United States, don't you?