Uber Retreats in Global Fight, Adds Benefits for U.K. Drivers
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P2JW076000-6-A00100-17FFFF5178F ****** WEDNESDAY,MARCH 17,2021~VOL. CCLXXVII NO.62 WSJ.com HHHH $4.00 DJIA 32825.95 g 127.51 0.4% NASDAQ 13471.57 À 0.1% STOXX 600 426.82 À 0.9% 10-YR. TREAS. g 4/32 , yield 1.622% OIL $64.80 g $0.59 GOLD $1,730.60 À $1.70 EURO $1.1905 YEN 109.00 On TokyoTrip,Secretary of StateWarns China to Rein Itself In U.S. Eyes What’s News Tougher Stance Business&Finance On Drug he FTC is preparing to Ttake aharder line on drug- companymergers,outlining Mergers plans to overhaul itsprocess for reviewing deals that could harm competition in the FTC wants to rethink pharmaceutical industry. A1 how pharmaceutical Uber said it would grant deals could hamper itsU.K.driversanemploy- ment status entitling industry competition them to vacation payand pension contributions. A1 BY BRENT KENDALL Google said it would cut AND JARED S. HOPKINS the service fee it collects on the first $1 million de- WASHINGTON—TheFederal velopers earn from its app Trade Commission is prepar- store to 15% from 30%. A1 OL ing to take aharder line on PO S drug-company mergers,out- Purdue Pharma’sowners lining plans Tuesday to over- agreed to payroughly $4.28 haul howitreviewsdeals that billion, alargersum than could harm competition in the previouslypromised, to re- pharmaceutical industry. solvelawsuitsstemming UNG-HOON/PRES KY Theinitiative, spurred by from the opioid epidemic. B1 the FTC’sacting Democratic KIM FirstEnergy reached a STERN TALK:Fromleft, U.S. DefenseSecretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State AntonyBlinken, Japan’sDefenseMinister chairwoman,Rebecca Kelly deal with Icahn that would Nobuo Kishi and Foreign MinisterToshimitsu Motegi afteranewsconferenceinTokyo on Tuesday. In his first foreign trip as Slaughter, signals what could givehim two seatsonthe the chief U.S. diplomat, Mr.Blinken accused Beijing of violating human rightsand undermining democracy in the region. A9 be atougher road ahead for Ohio utility’s board. B1 the industryduring the Biden administration. It also high- TheDow and S&P 500 lightsagrowing Democratic declined 0.4%and 0.2%, re- push forstronger antitrust en- spectively,while the Nas- forcement acrossthe econ- daq edged up 0.09%. B13 Uber Retreats in Global Fight, omy—and not just the tech Nokia plans to cut up to sector, whereahandful of 11% of itsworkforce over the companies have attracted bi- next two yearsasitseeks to partisan concern. become morecompetitiveiN Adds Benefitsfor U.K. Drivers “Given thehigh volume of the 5G-equipment market. B3 pharmaceutical mergers in re- cent years, amid skyrocketing ETorosaid it will go public drug prices and ongoing con- through adeal to merge with BY SAM SCHECHNER itsdriversthe U.K.’s minimum Thecompany’smove, which called the gig economy, where cerns about anticompetitive aSPACthat would value the AND PARMY OLSON wage only afterthey have ac- reclassifies Uber driversinthe apps distributeindividual conduct in the industry, it is firm at about $10.4 billion. B3 cepted atrip—not from the countryasworkersrather tasks to apool of people imperativethat we rethink our Ateenager accused of Uber Technologies Inc.said moment they sign into the than independent contractors, whom the app makersgener- approach,” Ms.Slaughter said. breaking intoTwitter’s sys- it would grant itsU.K.drivers app and areready to work,as will makethe U.K. the first ally regard as independent Theindustry’sbiggest trade tems and impersonating an employment status enti- labor activistshavede- placewhereUber is paying di- contractors. group,the Pharmaceutical Re- some of itsmost popular us- tlingthem to vacation pay manded. rectly forits drivers’ vacations In November,Uber wona search and Manufacturersof ersaspart of acryptocur- and pension contributions,a Uber made public the and pensions.The companyal- major ballot battle in Califor- America, said mergers and ac- rencyscampleaded guilty. B4 costly shiftinone of itslarg- changes,effectiveWednesday, ready offersmedical insurance nia—itshome state—that ex- quisitions “help facilitate the est overseas marketsamid a after losing itsfinal appeal in in many markets. empted it from having to re- transfer of knowledgeand ex- Visa and Mastercard global debate over the treat- February of lower-court deci- Uber’s decision could give classifyits driversaspertise required to push the are postponing planned ment of gig-economyworkers. sions that had granted a momentum to labor activists employees eligible forbroad envelope of scientific discov- swipe-fee increases. B3 Thechanges might presage group of former Uber drivers in aglobal tug of warover employment benefits. As part ery.” legal wrangling,however, be- atype of U.K. employment whether and howtogrant of that win, Uber offered “Placing different standards World-Wide cause the ride-hailing com- status that falls between em- moreemployment rightsto some newbenefitsincluding and applying morestringent panysaid it would guarantee ployeeand self-employed. workersinwhat is ofteN PleaseturntopageA8 PleaseturntopageA4 TheleadersofRussia and Iran last year ordered Winter Retailand food-service, ...change from Industrial production, their governmentstoat- total monthly sales... previous month change from Pandemic Upends tempt to influenceU.S.vot- Storms previous month ers’ choices in the presiden- $600 billion February 15% tial election and undermine Trip Up $562B the public’sfaith in Ameri- 10 10% TheWay Colleges candemocracy, aU.S.intelli- Recovery 550 genceassessment said. A4 5 5 Retail sales and Eight people,manyof Choose NewClass them women of Asian de- industry output 500 0 0 slumped in scent, were killed in shoot- February because ingsatthree Atlanta-area –5 –5 of winter storms, February February massageparlors, and one 450 but a broader -3.0% -2.2% Waiving test scores, deans rely on suspect wasincustody,law- –10 –10 rebound appears enforcement officials said. A3 intangibles amid huge wave of applications poised to 400 –15 –15 Biden said he supports accelerate this 2018 ’19’20 ’21 Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. bringing back arequirement spring on a new BY MELISSA KORN lic and private high-school 2020 ’21 2020 ’21 that senatorsmust be pres- round of economic Note:Seasonally adjusted AND DOUGLAS BELKIN counselors point to an epic ent and talking on the floor stimulus. A2 Sources: Commerce Department(retail sales); Federal Reserve(industrial production) effort behind the scenes to to block bills,asDemocrats Ivy League schools and a make tough judgment calls explorerevising thelegis- host of other highly selective at the highest speed. Col- lativefilibuster rule. A4 institutions waived SAT and leges send out the bulk of TheU.S.isonpace to see ACT requirements for the their decision notices in the largest number of mi- GoogletoPareApp-Developer Fee class of 2025, resulting in an March and early April, but it grantscrossing itssouthern unprecedented flood of ap- won’t be widely known how plications and what may the incoming freshman border illegally in two de- BY TRIPP MICKLE servicefee it collectsto15% downloaded to smartphones prove the most chaotic se- classes will look until late cades,the DHS chief said. A3 AND SARAH E. NEEDLEMAN from 30% on the first$1mil- and other mobile devices lection experiment in Ameri- summer or early fall. Added Health authorities and lion developersearn from its world-wide. Their position of caN higher education since to the uncertainty will be scientiststhrew their weight Google is reducing the cut app store. Thereduction, dominancedrewcriticism the end of World War II. whether students who de- behind AstraZeneca’sCovid-19 it takes for selling apps in its which begins in July,isaslight from developerslarge and The question hanging over ferred enrollment previously vaccine,but European govern- Play store, joining rival Apple departurefromApple’sdeci- small over the amount of higher education this month will decide to enter school mentsthat have suspended its Inc.inshrinking commissions sion latelast year to reduceits money that tech companies is whether this influx will this year. usedefended their caution. A8 afterthe powerthe technology rate to 15% forsoftware mak- areable to siphon from them. permanently change how Harvard University re- Moderna has begun giantswield through their dig- erswho generatelessthan $1 Those complaints triggered colleges select students and, ceived more than 57,000 studying itsCovid-19 vac- ital marketplaces has drawN million in annual sales. lawsuits as well as regulatory ultimately, the makeup of freshman applications for cine in children ages six the ire of developers and the Google,the main business probes in several countries. the student population. next fall’s entering class, a months to 11 yearsinthe scrutiny of regulators. of Alphabet Inc.,and Apple By reducing itstakeofapp Interviews with college- 42% year-over-year jump. U.S. and Canada. A6 Thecompanybehind the built multibillion-dollar digital sales,Google estimates that admissions officials and pub- PleaseturntopageA10 Biden said NewYork Gov. world’slargest mobile operat- empires over the past decade 99%ofdeveloperswould see ing system, Android, said by becoming the primarygate- their fees cut in half.The com- Cuomo should resign if an Tuesdayitwould reducethe keepersfor apps that are PleaseturntopageA6 investigation confirms the allegations of inappropriate INSIDE behavior made against him by multiple women. A3 Astronomers Find It Hard to Cut Through the Noise TheHouse passed abill iii S extending the deadline for PRES applying foraPaycheck Pro- Signals from space no match for cellphones,