Empower Applauds DC Board of Elections’ Adoption of Recall Petition Against Attorney General Brian Schwalb
Washington, D.C. –The D.C. Board of Elections will officially adopt a petition to recall D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb today at 1:00 pm, marking a critical step toward holding Schwalb accountable for his blatant corruption and abuse of power.
Brian Schwalb’s financial and personal ties to Uber are undeniable. Immediately prior to his uncontested election to Attorney General, Schwalb served for over a decade as Partner-in-Charge at Venable LLP, a law firm that in the past year alone has received at least $280,000 from an Uber-funded trade group. Since assuming office, he has leveraged his position to safeguard Uber’s interests including targeting and actively undermining the civil rights of working-class drivers who are trying to compete with Uber. Schwalb has used his office as a tool for protecting a multibillion-dollar corporation known for exploiting drivers and price-gouging riders.
Schwalb has a track record of making defamatory statements about Empower and its customers. His bias against fair competition and allegiance to Uber have escalated into outright legal persecution. He is now attempting to put Empower’s CEO, Joshua Sear, in jail for refusing to shut down Empower, while the company appeals a cease-and-desist order, identical to one that was overturned less than a year ago and that the Director of the Department of For-Hire Vehicles has privately admitted is no longer warranted. Schwalb’s actions are not about justice or consumer protection; they are about eliminating competition and doing Uber’s dirty work.
“The people of D.C. deserve an Attorney General who fights for them, not one who serves Uber,” said Sear. “Schwalb has demonstrated a complete disregard for the needs of hardworking drivers and their families and of the general public who relies on their services. Instead of ensuring fairness in the marketplace, or prosecuting violent carjackers in the District, he’s abusing his power in service to Uber.”
The public can attend the Special Session of the D.C. Board of Elections via Zoom. A copy of the Agenda is available at https://dcboe.org/Events/
About Empower
Empower is disrupting companies like Uber with an innovative model: drivers set their own rates, keep 100% of the fare and pay the company a subscription fee. With Empower, drivers are neither employees nor contractors; they’re customers. Under this model, drivers are making thousands of dollars more per month than they do working for Uber, which only pays them about 50-60% of what riders pay to Uber.
Because drivers get 100% of the fare, they are able to charge riders 15-20% less, on average, than Uber charges and still make considerably more money. As a result, riders who book rides through Empower save money too. Riders can also request a same-gender or favorite driver, which many riders indicate provides them with a greater sense of safety.
To learn more about Empower visit www.driveempower.com
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