Letter: Elected officials should shun Uber, Lyft

ISSUE | RIDE-SHARING

Leaders, shun Uber

Consider how many of Philadelphia's progressive Democrtats and elected officials oppose discriminatory practices, want companies to pay at least the minimum wage, believe multinational corporations have too much power, and support the right of collective bargaining for wages and benefits. Then consider how many of those people support the ride-sharing services UberX, Uber Pool, and Lyft.

Here are some facts about Uber and Lyft:

They are multinational corporations.

They refuse to follow the Americans with Disabilities Act, and they charge people with disabilities more.

They don't guarantee their drivers minimum wage.

UberX, Uber Pool, and Lyft don't collect city wage taxes, don't pay Social Security or unemployment insurance, and don't have workers' compensation policies.

Drivers don't have collective-bargaining rights.

For these reasons, progressive Democrats and elected officials might be expected to speak out against UberX and Lyft - but few do. Mayor Kenney, who campaigned on raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and has his staff use companies that refuse to pay the existing minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, is hard to take seriously.

|Joseph A. Stramondo, assistant teaching professor, Drexel University, Philadelphia