As with most disputes, this one is about the money. If Uber’s drivers are employees, then they are entitled to the benefits that go with such classification, such as unemployment insurance and overtime, that are not required to be bestowed upon independent contractors.

Uber’s critics say the company is exploiting workers by not paying the benefits of employment. The sharing economy, some of them say, is doomed to further enhance inequality in the United States. Uber would appear to be another example of how the average worker in America, particularly the unskilled one, can no longer make a living wage or even get a real job.

Uber and its supporters, however, contend that its drivers want this system. Uber is a technology service for matching drivers and customers and therefore is a middleman no different from, say, eBay or Etsy.

With Uber, drivers are independent contractors who pay 20 percent of the fare to the company. The drivers pay all their expenses and receive no benefits, like health insurance or unemployment benefits. But in exchange, they don’t need to show up if they don’t want to, don’t have set hours and are basically their own bosses. From this perspective, Uber is empowering drivers, allowing them to earn money on the side or more money than their other job without the inconvenience of a boss.

Who is right?

Well, this is not the old story of labor versus capital that drove a push for workers’ rights for many years. In that narrative, capital exploited less powerful workers to its benefit, so worker protections were necessary. Laws were passed and workers organized unions to ensure that there was a balance of power. In the system that has been built up from this old conflict, the benefits of employment go largely to full-time workers.