Uber continues to assert that its drivers are not employees. But according to an article in the current issue of the International Journal of Communication, Uber’s technology gives it considerable control over drivers.
Control, or lack thereof, is one of the primary factors considered by the Internal Revenue Service in determining whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor.
In “Algorithmic Labor and Information Asymmetries: A Case Study of Uber’s Drivers,” authors Alex Rosenblat and Luke Stark assert, “Regardless of the language used by Uber to describe its legal and rhetorical relationship to its drivers, an analysis of driver experiences with the company’s system reveals numerous manifestations of algorithmic management.”
Source: Uber Drivers Under Algorithmic Management: Study – InformationWeek