California Uber and Lyft drivers reached a historic milestone after securing support from 30% of drivers in the state to unionize. The California Gig Workers Union is expected to be certified within the next month, and will be the largest union of rideshare drivers in the world.
Rideshare drivers have been organizing for over a decade for better working conditions, a struggle which was made challenging by the isolated nature of their industry. Without a break room or water cooler at which to meet other workers, drivers had to get creative to find ways to connect. Workers shared their experiences in social media and online forums, translated organizing materials into more than a dozen languages, and coordinated nationwide in-person demonstrations.
An even bigger challenge these workers faced is the spending and lobbying power of their employers. In 2020, Uber and Lyft bankrolled Proposition 22, the most expensive ballot measure in California history. The passage of Prop 22 classified gig workers as independent contractors rather than employees, meaning that workers were not covered by basic labor protections such as overtime pay, unemployment insurance, sick leave, or workers compensation. Although the ballot measure included a wage floor for workers, the guaranteed hourly pay was below both the federal and state minimum wage. The companies spent a jaw-dropping $181 million on an advertising blitz, and even forced gig workers themselves to promote the measure while on the job.
The rideshare industry rakes in billions of dollars in revenue, and the CEOs of both Uber and Lyft take home multimillion dollar salaries. Gig workers provide both the driving labor and customer service, but also pay for their own vehicles, oil changes, car washes, repairs, insurance, smartphones, and skyrocketing gas prices. Meanwhile, all the corporations provide is an app built to extract the maximum profit from each ride. They have been increasing this profit margin year after year by gradually increasing ride prices and decreasing driver pay, to the point where the share taken by the corporations is now up to half of every fare charged.
Rideshare drivers are the ones doing all the work, and deserve to have decent wages, job protections, and control of their working conditions. They have overcome tremendous challenges to build this union, and we hope they are able to maintain the momentum of their grassroots organizing as they bring their fight to the bargaining table.
