Uber Technologies Inc: Disclosure on Plans and Policies Aligned with Achieving Racial Equality as Informed by As You Sow Scorecard

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BE IT RESOLVED: that shareholders of Uber Technologies, Inc. (“Uber”) urge the Board of Directors to oversee a third-party audit analyzing the adverse impact of Uber’s policies and practices on the civil rights of company stakeholders, above and beyond legal and regulatory matters, and to provide recommendations for improving the company’s civil rights impact. Input from civil rights organizations, employees, customers, and other stakeholders should be considered in determining the specific matters to be analyzed. A report on the audit, prepared at reasonable cost and omitting confidential or proprietary information, should be publicly disclosed on Uber’s website.

SUPPORTING STATEMENT: Recently, the racial justice movement together with the disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have focused the public’s and policy makers’ attention on civil rights and gender and racial equity issues. Uber has made celebrating differences one of its cultural norms, but its actions say otherwise.

Uber claims to be an anti-racist company, but its policies and practices fail to reflect this statement. While Uber’s workforce is 10.3% Black and 8% Hispanic according to its latest diversity report, only 3.8% and 5.2% of its leadership are Black and Hispanic, respectively. Further, the company spent $52 million campaigning for Prop 22, which classifies gig workers as independent contractors rather than as employees. Misclassification of independent contractors has been found to disproportionately affect racial minorities, who earn more money through the gig economy that white workers. An audit would help to assess progress on Uber’s attempt to be an anti-racist company.

Uber’s corporate contributions are not fully aligned with its public statements. It has donated to police foundations in Atlanta and Los Angeles that critics note bypass normal procurement processes to buy equipment for police departments, including surveillance technology that has been used to target communities of color.

The civil rights impact of Uber’s products and platform also warrant further evaluation. In 2020 Uber was initially fined $59 million for refusing to disclose sexual assault information to the California Public Utilities Commission, but was able to resolve the dispute for a lower figure. In October 2021 a San Francisco law firm announced plans to file up to 1,000 sexual assault and harassment lawsuits against Uber and other rideshare companies. A study by George Washington University researchers found evidence of racial discrimination in Uber’s pricing algorithm. In June 2021 a federal judge refused to dismiss a case claiming that Uber’s driver rating system may be biased against drivers of color, stating that the inference of discrimination was “strong.” Uber is also facing a lawsuit claiming that wheelchair accessible service is “less reliable and predictable than non-wheelchair accessible offerings,” and that wheelchair users are faced with higher fares and face longer wait times.

Resolution Details

Company:  Uber Technologies Inc

Lead Filer:
SOC Investment Group (CtW Investment Group)

Year: 2022

Filing Date: 
November 2021

Initiative(s): Racial Justice

Status: Resolution Withdrawn, Agreement Reached

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