With the rise of various ride sharing services (e.g. UBER and Lyft, for example), there has been some debate on whether the drivers for these services should be treated as employees or independent contractors. Recent cases in California and New York involving UBER drivers have added to the debate on this issue. Please respond to either 1 of the 2 questions below:

Question 1:

What arguments can you make that the drivers for ride sharing services such as UBER and Lyft should be treated as employees (based on formal criteria/factors and/or societal concerns and/or policy reasons, etc.).

-or-

Question 2:

What arguments can you make that the drivers for ride sharing services such as UBER and Lyft should be treated as independent contractors (based on formal criteria/factors and/or societal concerns and/or policy reasons, etc).