Posts by BenWilson
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Polity: Custard, in reply to tussock,
Right. There is recourse if the excuse is essentially unfair, discriminatory, untruthful, malicious, etc.
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In signaling closer alliance with the Greens, Labour has, however, given you a way to vote for a change of government without having to actually vote for Labour.
But even so think it’s unfair to say that their “only change” is not significant. Forcing employers to give a reason for dismissal is a big improvement on the current “fire at will” setup.
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If you treat someone and they die, our organization will stand by you 100%. And no, obviously you can't have that in writing. Because that would be evidence of a crime by us. So harden up and run straight at those guns, stark naked and screaming. We're right behind you. About 35 miles behind you.
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I know the director of Urban you're talking about. He was instrumental in bringing the drivers together who were most furious about the price drops. He built a large Facebook following, from which the driver association has sprung, although he personally opposed the idea. Those who want to form a legal entity for the rights of drivers are pretty much diverging from that Facebook group, which is increasingly appearing to be a vehicle for enlisting drivers to Urban.
Beyond his claims that Urban will save the drivers from slavery, no real detail has emerged about it. I'm personally doubtful that it is anything more than vaporware at the moment
Other competitors will emerge, though. There are mature clones out there. I am doubtful that any of them will do much to make the lot of drivers better, though, since they will have to compete on price to grow market share.
My belief is that a fair shake is only going to come to drivers that organize themselves and work collectively.
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There is no way to discern in advance that a rider is new. The only telltale sign is the perfect 5 rating. But that is extremely common anyway, even for riders who have done a lot of trips.
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Just heard that NZTA netted around 60 illegal Uber drivers in Christchurch on Saturday. How? They just used the rider app and pretty much were shooting fish in a barrel all day. I hope this sends a message.
Apparently the drivers pleaded ignorance of basically every passenger hire law there is, stating that Uber told them these laws do not apply.
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Good to hear you are ready to entertain again. At least that's how I read you. It seemed likely to me that the way you dealt with the multiple crises that shattered Christchurch was going to delay the grief, and that it would hit you later. Because you dealt with it by getting extremely busy. Which was more than appropriate at the time. You formed a rock that saved those around you from bearing a far harder brunt of the tidal wave of misery that the region suffered. It's admirable to the point of being inspirational, although it might also not seem that way to you, because at some level it is also a coping mechanism. I don't think you should feel the slightest guilt at that grief catching you up the moment you got a rest, or creeping up on you in a worn out state, and absolutely no guilt that family shocks and tragedies would rob us of your levity. You have to grieve your losses, and the survivor guilt that others had it worse is also natural.
I see a ray of sunshine peeping through here, though. It seems to me that grieving privately is your style and inflicting it on others was hard to enthuse about. That you're back and joking tells me of progress being made there that I was really quite worried about when you last wrote. You needed the break, and I look forward to your thoughts as they bubble up again.
Arohanui, David.
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Speaker: Confessions of an Uber Driver…, in reply to goforit,
Uber should be telling their contractors exactly what is expected of them in regard to all the NZ laws not Ubers version of the NZ Laws
For sure. Like they used to do only a few months ago, to a much higher degree than now. They had to actively remove their policy of compliance, in a deliberate move that involved making changes to their procedures and IT systems.
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Speaker: Confessions of an Uber Driver…, in reply to goforit,
Yes, I think you raised that before. And yes, there is a continual discussion going on at the moment about where the hell we all stand on GST, with multiple competing expert resources giving different views. So I'm personally staying the hell out of that discussion. I am not an account or a lawyer.
It's a stretch to say the drivers are not compliant to NZ law, though. You have to make a hell of a lot of assumptions about what people are doing with their taxes. Most drivers get professional accountants to do their taxes for them and I can't say with any confidence whatsoever what they are doing, because it's private and confidential, and most likely has massive variation across the drivers.
So far as I can see, the discussion is an absolute mess. I'm certainly not going to muddy it any further other than to say that I'm well aware that there is messy discussion on this going on.
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Speaker: Confessions of an Uber Driver…, in reply to goforit,
Before I answer that, can I ask which one you did? Tell me the exact pathway of agreeing to any contract that you recall engaging in. As in, literally, where on the screen was the link to the terms and conditions? We are talking about an app that gets updated on a weekly basis, which runs on several phone operating systems, which requires you to accept permissions on every upgrade, and never gives you a hard copy of the terms and conditions. So, in all seriousness, can you tell me in any detail what the contract that you effectively agreed to was, and how and when you agreed to it? On what date, and where you were?
I'll find out mine, if you find out yours.