Milton Street: Uber Is Doing 'What Plantation Owners Did To People'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Former Pennsylvania State Senator and Philadelphia mayoral candidate, Milton Street, who is organizing Uber drivers with the goal of joining a union, compared the ride sharing company to slave owners in an interview on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT with Dom Giordano.
Street, himself an Uber driver, said the efforts to unionize will not stop before firing significant charges at the company's business practices.
"It's going to continue. It is no different, what Uber's doing, than what the plantation owners did to people.'
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He admitted his view of Uber has shifted 180 degrees since they've started operating in Philadelphia.
"Uber went through massive, massive advertising, telling people to come down and I thought it was really, really great at the beginning, you know, this is offering an opportunity for people who, otherwise, couldn't get jobs, entry level people, but it's turned into slave labor."
Street further explained his complaints include not allowing drivers to decline certain rides.
"To drive for that type of money is one thing. The second thing, if you want to do it by choice, the second thing is Uber entered into a policy where you have to do it. In other words, if a pool ride comes up on your app, you're not allowed to deny that. If you deny it, Uber will shut down your app."