Worker protection should apply equally to everyone, not give preferential treatment to one group(taxi drivers) at the expense of most other groups who just have minimum wage laws and osha.
They are contractors, though. They own their vehicle and set their own hours. They can choose if they want to work that day or not. Uber is just a lead source to the driver. My neighbor drives a black car, legally licensed as a limo, and drives for Uber. Not all of his fairs come from Uber. He owns his own business, Uber is not his employer.
Worker protection should apply equally to everyone, not give preferential treatment to one group(taxi drivers) at the expense of most other groups who just have minimum wage laws and osha.