# Protestors Call Uber’s Billboards "Hypocritical and Offensive"



## MHR (Jul 23, 2017)

*Protesters call Uber's antiracism billboards 'hypocritical and offensive'*
Published: Sept. 9, 2020 at 5:20 p.m. ET

*Levi Sumagaysay*

*Ride-hailing company places ads proclaiming 'If you tolerate racism, delete Uber' amid fight to avoid classifying drivers as employees







*​*With the November election coming up, ride-hailing drivers are protesting against Proposition 22, the California ballot initiative backed by Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and Instacart.*
ROBYN BECK/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Ride-hailing drivers and supporters gathered in Oakland, Calif,. on Wednesday to denounce Uber Technologies Inc. for antiracism billboards it has put up in 13 major cities around the country, calling the company hypocritical as it fights a California ballot measure that would require it to classify drivers as employees.

To protest the billboards that read "If you tolerate racism, delete Uber," the drivers and activists carried their own sign that read, "If you support racial justice, vote no on Prop 22."

Organizers of the protest said the company's billboard campaign is "disingenuous" because the company refuses to provide benefits to drivers, who are disproportionately immigrants and minorities. They cited at least one study, by the UC Santa Cruz Institute for Social Transformation and some advocacy group partners, that showed 78% of drivers in San Francisco are "people of color." Another survey, by UnidosUS, found that 40% of Latinos around the nation had done some kind of gig work.

"These billboards are hypocritical and offensive, but the truth is Uber and Lyft have been exploiting drivers and violating our rights for years now," said Mekela Edwards, an Uber driver and We Drive Progress member from Oakland, in a statement. "Prop. 22 was written to make rich CEOs richer and workers like me work twice as hard to get half as far."

A housing activist who is running for Oakland City Council, Carroll Fife, said at the protest, "They are exploiting our labor for their wealth." Pointing at the billboard, she said, "this is insane."

An Uber UBER, +2.77% spokesman said the company had no comment, but the Yes on 22 campaign sent a statement from Tecoy Porter, chair of the Sacramento chapter of the National Action Network, a civil rights organization: "In opposing Prop 22, Sacramento politicians and their special interests backers are not only going against the wishes of these drivers, they are willing to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of jobs held by drivers of color."

Proposition 22, which will be on the ballot in November, seeks to exempt gig companies from having to comply with a California law that would require the companies to classify their drivers and delivery workers as employees instead of independent contractors. Instead, the measure would give drivers additional benefits that fall short of full employee benefits and protections. This week, the Los Angeles Times reported that the $181.4 million spent by Uber, Lyft Inc. LYFT, -1.20%, DoorDash Inc. and Instacart so far makes the initiative the costliest in California history.

Uber rolled out its billboard campaign Aug. 28, the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech. At the same time, the company pledged $10 million to support Black-owned businesses in the next two years, extending zero delivery fees for Black-owned restaurants through 2020 and other antiracism and equity commitments.

Tl;Dr ~ 
Uber says "If you tolerate racism, delete Uber."

Drivers say "If you support racial justice, vote no on Prop 22."

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/p...boards-hypocritical-and-offensive-11599686425


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## Lissetti (Dec 20, 2016)

LMAO Uber and their advertising woes. I still remember the drones that heckled cars stuck in traffic in Mexico City.. &#128514;










https://www.technologyreview.com/20...drones-are-heckling-drivers-stuck-in-traffic/


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## Trafficat (Dec 19, 2016)

Uber provides work to the unemployable precisely because it doesn't have to take the risks a company would when dealing with employment laws.

The unemployability of minorities is a societal problem, not an Uber problem. Uber actually corrects for society by creating a system immune from discrimination:
- No job interview. - Your boss is an AI that doesn't know or care about your race. - No cap on number of workers.

When the gig economy is gone, it won't help gig workers who are otherwise unemployable. They will just return to making $0 income instead of making money through the unemployability loophole.

The people who rely on Uber because they can't get another job, and therefore complain about being exploited by the lack of labor protections are precisely the people that Uber isn't going to hire when forced to be an employer. If gig companies have to provide employment benefits and only fire people for cause, they aren't going to want to hire people who don't have a record of being able to hold down a job. It is very expensive for a company to hire bad employees and then have to fire them.


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## dauction (Sep 26, 2017)

Lissetti said:


> LMAO Uber and their advertising woes. I still remember the drones that heckled cars stuck in traffic in Mexico City.. &#128514;
> 
> View attachment 506701
> 
> ...


All I know is I would have pulled out the fishing net and have me a new drone :thumbup:


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## I will crack Lyft hacks (Aug 5, 2019)

So your saying a bunch of unemployable deplorable bottom of society people will be fired and collect pack pay to the tune of 100k.

Like a once in a life lottery shot.

No wonder they made AB5 retroactive probably to 2018.

Hey, that's the best thing that can happen to these deplorable. I am cool with them cashing out this lottery shot and taking Uber down.

Less money for Japanese and Saudi investors, since some broke Americans can come up.

&#127473;&#127479;


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Lissetti said:


> LMAO Uber and their advertising woes. I still remember the drones that heckled cars stuck in traffic in Mexico City.. &#128514;
> 
> View attachment 506701
> 
> ...


But
I dont Want to see volcanos !


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## Trafficat (Dec 19, 2016)

I will crack Lyft hacks said:


> So your saying a bunch of unemployable deplorable bottom of society people will be fired and collect pack pay to the tune of 100k.


Wishful thinking. Suppose there was a class action $50 Million dollar lawsuit that gets settled. Realistically a couple of lawyers are becoming millionaires, and thousands of drivers will get a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. I predict no life changing money... except maybe for the lawyers.


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## The Gift of Fish (Mar 17, 2017)

Lissetti said:


> LMAO Uber and their advertising woes. I still remember the drones that heckled cars stuck in traffic in Mexico City.. &#128514;
> 
> View attachment 506701
> 
> ...


I don't know why they think that a holier-than-thou approach does anything other than annoy. As if the moron that wrote the "travelling alone?" message never drives alone in his car.


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## Trafficat (Dec 19, 2016)

The Gift of Fish said:


> I don't know why they think that a holier-than-thou approach does anything other than annoy. As if the moron that wrote the "travelling alone?" message never drives alone in his car.


"SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT! RIDE WITH UBER!" - Quote from drone using environment destroying lithium batteries charged with dirty coal fossil fuels that are expending energy just to advertise Uber.


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## I will crack Lyft hacks (Aug 5, 2019)

Trafficat said:


> Wishful thinking. Suppose there was a class action $50 Million dollar lawsuit that gets settled. Realistically a couple of lawyers are becoming millionaires, and thousands of drivers will get a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. I predict no life changing money... except maybe for the lawyers.


That's the thing, it's not done by lawyers, it's pro bono, done by the Labor department not through arbitration or class action.

It is actually happening. No lawyer fee. State is representing the drivers and giving All proceeds to drivers.

It is fascinating honestly.

There is no need to settle, since it is current law until changed on a undetermined future date.


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## doyousensehumor (Apr 13, 2015)

Uber STARTED this by running ads saying "If you tolerate racism, delete Uber"

🤦‍♂️ Yikes. What were they expecting?

How could Uber not see this coming? In 2020, why would you want as a company, to be the first one to inject race, into what is a regulation issue.
Uber appearently intented to signal support for BLM. Since Uber brought it up, now opponents are using it against them.

The word "racism" is loosing its meaning when it is overused. It's becoming a tool for those who disagree, to use it as slander.

There are two sides to the AB5/prop22 argument. BOTH are concerned for the little guy, who many of them happen to be minorities. I see no evidence of race being a factor for either side opposing the other.


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## Nats121 (Jul 19, 2017)

Trafficat said:


> Uber provides work to the unemployable precisely because it doesn't have to take the risks a company would when dealing with employment laws.


Most Uber drivers are Third World immigrants. Are those the people you're referring to as "unemployable"?

Travis, Zimmer, and the rest of the dirt bags who ran and still run these companies made the decision in 2013 to cut driver pay at virtually all costs.



Trafficat said:


> Your boss is an AI that doesn't know or care about your race.


You don't know that. If anything the evidence shows they do care. Check out the various dispatch "criteria" they attempted to patent in 2014... Hair color, eye color, ethnicity, language, etc.

Uber's against racism? That's a laugh.

Take a look at the 22.5 cents per mile Uber tried to pay Detroit drivers in January of 2016. Obviously Uber thought "those people" in Detroit would work for hideous pay rates. Uber learned the hard way that they wouldn't. It backfired badly on Uber and they had to raise the rates three months later.

In 2018 Uber redlined black wards of DC and PG County by failing to offer Boosts during rush hour at the same time that predominately "white areas" were offering 2.0 Boosts. Predictably, drivers stayed in the Boost areas, which forced black riders to pay high surge prices for their rides.


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## goneubering (Aug 17, 2017)

Lissetti said:


> LMAO Uber and their advertising woes. I still remember the drones that heckled cars stuck in traffic in Mexico City.. &#128514;
> 
> View attachment 506701
> 
> ...


Hahahaha!! I never knew that, Very funny.



Trafficat said:


> Wishful thinking. Suppose there was a class action $50 Million dollar lawsuit that gets settled. Realistically a couple of lawyers are becoming millionaires, and thousands of drivers will get a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. I predict no life changing money... except maybe for the lawyers.


I would be surprised if a driver got over $100.


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

Uber is just like Trump. It's not about being against racism, it's about trying to say you care about it.

Both only care about themselves, money, and power.

If every racist stopped using Uber they'd lose at least 20-30% of their riders. 

Everything they say is just to get people to believe one thing or another. Just like Trump.

Remember "tips are included"? "Mexico will pay for the wall."?


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## goneubering (Aug 17, 2017)

Fuzzyelvis said:


> Uber is just like Trump. It's not about being against racism, it's about trying to say you care about it.
> 
> Both only care about themselves, money, and power.
> 
> ...


You must live in a terrible area. In Cali it's probably less than 1%.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

goneubering said:


> You must live in a terrible area. In Cali it's probably less than 1%.


You believe that ?

They got All KINDS OF RACISTS !

FORGET THE " MYTH" OF WHITE RACISTS !


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## goneubering (Aug 17, 2017)

tohunt4me said:


> You believe that ?
> 
> They got All KINDS OF RACISTS !
> 
> ...


Yes. The racists on both sides get WAY too much media attention which makes them seem much more important than they really are.


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## Who is John Galt? (Sep 28, 2016)

goneubering said:


> You must live in a terrible area. In Cali it's probably less than 1%.


Yeah, well that's believable. 

.


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## Uber's Guber (Oct 22, 2017)

Fuzzyelvis said:


> Uber is just like Trump. It's not about being against racism, it's about trying to say you care about it. Both only care about themselves, money, and power.


Uber is just like Biden, Schumer, & Pelosi. It's not about being against racism, it's about trying to say you care about it. They only care about themselves, money, and power.


Fuzzyelvis said:


> Everything they say is just to get people to believe one thing or another. Just like Trump. Remember "tips are included"? "Mexico will pay for the wall."?


Everything they say is just to get people to believe one thing or another. Just like Biden, Schumer, & Pelosi. Remember "If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor."? "Your insurance premium will be lowered by $2500 a year."?


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## goneubering (Aug 17, 2017)

Who is John Galt? said:


> Yeah, well that's believable.
> 
> .


All I can go by is my experience having lived in Cali my entire life. Maybe other states and countries are much more racist but I doubt it. I don't believe 20-30% are racists. I do believe the media loves to sensationalize things to get higher ratings and make more money.


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## Big Lou (Dec 11, 2019)

tohunt4me said:


> You believe that ?
> 
> They got All KINDS OF RACISTS !
> 
> ...


That's your proof that raciest from all strips exist. I does, but with these examples. Quite a stretch.


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## goneubering (Aug 17, 2017)

Trafficat said:


> Uber provides work to the unemployable precisely because it doesn't have to take the risks a company would when dealing with employment laws.
> 
> The unemployability of minorities is a societal problem, not an Uber problem. Uber actually corrects for society by creating a system immune from discrimination:
> - No job interview. - Your boss is an AI that doesn't know or care about your race. - No cap on number of workers.
> ...


The truth hurts sometimes.


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## sasu66 (Sep 7, 2020)

Trafficat said:


> Uber provides work to the unemployable precisely because it doesn't have to take the risks a company would when dealing with employment laws.


Nobody is unemployable, everyone has the ability to learn skills and work with the right training.


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## Trafficat (Dec 19, 2016)

sasu66 said:


> Nobody is unemployable, everyone has the ability to learn skills and work with the right training.


I don't think skills or training have much to do with it for the most unemployable people. I consider myself mostly unemployable, and I think it is because I give off a sociopath vibe when people interact with me in person.


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## sasu66 (Sep 7, 2020)

Trafficat said:


> I don't think skills or training have much to do with it for the most unemployable people. I consider myself mostly unemployable, and I think it is because I give off a sociopath vibe when people interact with me in person.


Few exceptions with mental problems do not break the rule. Nobody is unemployable. Employers are simply incompetent, especially companies like Uber. If you're able to post on a text based massage board, then you can teach yourself programming and get a remote job. Technically, it's possible.


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