The 2015 changes to Uber’s contract coincided with efforts by the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, an advocacy group for professional drivers,
to point out improprieties in the way Uber was calculating its commission, as well as other issues involving improper treatment of drivers.
Richard Emery, a plaintiffs’ lawyer who litigated a 2009 case with similar issues, said the change in the contract was “very powerful circumstantial evidence
that they understood that their calculation of the commission was wrong.”
He added, “It seems clear that they were looking at it.”
Uber’s contract covers drivers not just in New York, but in all states where it operates.
Mr. Parmar said he first alerted Uber to the issue of the improper commission calculations in December
2014, when Uber officials in New York held an event for drivers at a Sheraton hotel in Queens.
Separately, a former Uber employee provided an account also indicating
that company officials were aware of the commission issue in New York as long ago as 2015.
Signs of Wage Error by Uber Came Well Before an Admission -
By NOAM SCHEIBERJUNE 1, 2017
Uber said last week that it had recently discovered an accounting error
that had deprived New York drivers of tens of millions of dollars, and vowed to pay back drivers every cent, with interest.