The Impotence of Modern Boycotts

In ten cities across the country, the drivers who contract for rideshare services Uber and Lyft are supposed to be on strike, and activists have asked that those who would hail them should join in the action by refusing to use their services. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and the U.K.’s Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn have tweeted their support for the drivers to be recognized and governed as employees, rather than as subcontractors for these Silicon Valley companies.

Under Uber’s terms of service, drivers are “partners” who are both contractors and customers. And so technically, the planned strikes are, in Uber’s eyes, temporary boycotts.

I’m skeptical of the ability of boycotts to achieve their purpose. Chick-fil-A changed its behavior of supporting political groups, but its founders have not disavowed their religious beliefs, and their business keeps expanding. The Nestle company has been subjected to several boycotts over the years, and it is so untroubled by them, even the continuing ones, that it provides information on them on its own website.