We told you last year about California Assemblywoman Lorena S. Gonzales, who was sponsoring AB5, a bill that pretty much promised to destroy freelancers’ and contractor’s livelihoods. The idea was to force employers to bring on gig economy workers (Uber, Lyft, etc.) and freelancers as full-time employees, but instead, for example, freelance writers were capped at 35 articles a year, effectively killing off their source of income.
Uber seems to have had enough, and one of the architects of the company’s shuttering, Los Angeles City Council Member Mike Bonin, was still crying about people going into business for themselves, voluntarily, without having to join a union.
In a cruel and petulant move, Uber just announced they are shutting down service in California on Thursday. Faced with a mandate to treat their workers fairly, they opted instead to leave them unemployed — in the middle of a pandemic and a recession. pic.twitter.com/SuTvCOUDWT
— Mike Bonin (@mikebonin) August 19, 2020
In a cruel and petulant-not to mention unconstitutional-move, politicians took freedom, choice, businesses and jobs away from workers, in the middle of a recession that they created by shutting down small businesses.
— Carol Roth (@caroljsroth) August 19, 2020
Ooh, I forgot to add “at the behest of their union cronies”.
— Carol Roth (@caroljsroth) August 19, 2020
@LorenaSGonzalez fault . Blame her
— Sonia Moser (@soniamoser17) August 19, 2020
I do.
— Carol Roth (@caroljsroth) August 19, 2020
Gonzalez got so upset hearing from all of the people who were going to lose their jobs to her bill that she told them they could “scream into the dumpster fire” that is Twitter for all she cared.https://twitter.com/Mangan150/status/1296200834305277952
Serious question: Why does it seem like rolling over and allowing our liberties to be trampled on is so in fashion lately?
— Autonomous Brian (@DarkEnergyBrian) August 19, 2020
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Uber going Galt. These guys must hate that people and businesses can vote with their feet
— Bender Elmo (@bender_elmo) August 19, 2020
So, I guess California is in the “it’s all the anti-revolutionary capitalists’ fault” stage of the Marxist death spiral.
— Down for the Neo-Renaissance (@twitexit) August 19, 2020
Time to remind the politicians they work for us. Anybody else sick and tired of being bullied?
— Marsha-p (@Marshap17276901) August 19, 2020
"Petulant"
You are such a sad and stupid man child.
— Physics Geek (@physicsgeek) August 19, 2020
Uber doesn't have "workers", it has contractors. The state's defiant unwillingness to understand that voluntary relationship creates an economically unviable business model for the company. Unviable business models are, y'know, unviable.
— Brian Guy (@ItsThatBriGuy) August 19, 2020
— Andrew S. (@shoutingboy) August 19, 2020
Good move truly dynamic leader. ?
— Pouncing Coder Brad (@bradcundiff) August 19, 2020
Why is Uber the cruel one? Explain please?
— Michael Monaghan (@mcmonaghan) August 19, 2020
Maybe CA should have written a better bill that didn’t impact millions of freelancers in the process?
— David Herrmann (@herrmanndigital) August 19, 2020
Yes. All businesses should completely change their model in order to accommodate tyrannical governments.
— Lola (@suroftheborder) August 19, 2020
Translation: Unions desperate for more dues-paying members & the politicians they bought tried to get @Uber to change their business model, that the vast majority of their contractors love & want to keep as it is. They said no. #YESonProp22 #RepealAB5
— Lisa Rothstein – Lollipop Guild Warrior #RepealAB5 (@davincidiva) August 19, 2020
Hey Mike? What about the millions of other, non-Uber/Lyft independent contractors who have had their lives and businesses decimated by AB5? You're so "compassionate" about the drivers, but what about the "collateral damage"? Nothing for us?
— Marc (@Marc_Topaz) August 19, 2020
Weird that they’re continuing to operate in every other state; it’s almost like this isn’t about their “cruelty” but California politicians’ stupidity
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) August 19, 2020
California is just a big warning sign, isn’t it?
Related:
Assemblywoman behind the horrible #AB5 gig worker bill says constituents can ‘scream into the dumpster fire’ that is Twitter https://t.co/Em69iRpbuL
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) March 4, 2020
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