As demand for trips has plummeted in the wake of the wage hikes, the Drivers Union is trying to limit the number of gig workers on the road.
While the report is dressed up in the language of “deadheading” and climate change, it’s little more than a thinly-veiled attempt to do what unions so often do: Limit the labor supply to lock out non-union members. The Drivers Union also conveniently ignores the reason behind the increase in “empty miles,” which is the result of Seattle’s aggressive pursuit of minimum wage laws for gig work.