What are your weekend plans? Do they involve Uber transportation? If they do, you should alter those plans right now.
Uber drivers are going on strike. The strike is scheduled to start at 5pm EDT Friday and last until 10pm EDT Sunday. This is the busiest time of the week for Uber service. The strike is organized by former Uber driver Abe Husein. But Abe Husein isn’t stopping at asking drivers not to work this weekend. He’s asking supporters to make fake Uber accounts, request rides they don’t intend to use, and deliberately cause mass confusion and frustration for non-striking Uber drivers this weekend. Their demands are many, and most involve money. Uber drivers take home on average 75 cents a mile, a pay most drivers can’t bare. Strikers want Uber X fares raised by 60%. They also want a tip option for customers. As for now, tipping is a no-no in the Uber world, something that attracts customers. They want the minimum fare raised to seven dollars and the cancellation fee raised to seven dollars. So far, around 20,000 Uber drivers have joined Husein. Some Uber drivers aren’t taking part. Some think it’s a waste of their time and a waste of good business that can be had on a weekend.
I support the right to strike and the right to peaceful protest as much as any good American. Many great movements throughout our rich history were born out of strikes and protest. And it’s an effective way to get the public’s attention. But one thing I don’t support is deliberate deception. There is no need for faking accounts and faking Uber request just to prove something. This kind of behavior is unnecessary and uncalled for. Attorneys say this is at least a civil offense, if not a criminal one. Is this strike, or any other strike, worth deception, or the consequences it could bring?