The missing piece in all of this - and the recurring theme in all talk of US labour conditions - is the idea of unionization. Collective bargaining is mentioned briefly, but it remains that the average US worker labours under conditions that most Europeans wouldn't tolerate.

In the UK, Uber has lost two court appeals: its workers are considered employees, regardless of the contract they sign. They're appealing to the Supreme Court, and hopefully they'll lose.

If they cannot operate without exploiting workers, they don't have a business. If this corporate giant can't pay minimum wage and basic benefits, they don't have a business. This destructive fantasy needs to end now.