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...