Rideshare and delivery drivers are expected to go on strike this Valentine’s Day, demanding fair pay and increased safety measures from app companies like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash. The Justice for App Workers coalition, representing thousands of drivers, announced plans for strikes in several U.S. cities. The drivers are protesting against what they view as mistreatment by the companies, including long working hours, concerns for safety, and the risk of deactivation at any time. The coalition has called on drivers to refrain from giving rides from airports in 10 major cities during the designated strike hours.
The strikes come on the heels of Lyft’s recent announcement of new features for drivers, which include a live ADT security agent option, a driver deactivation appeals button, and a new earnings commitment. Lyft stated that these measures are part of their efforts to improve the driver experience and ensure increased pay and transparency. Under the new earnings commitment, drivers will always receive at least 70% of the weekly rider fares after external fees. In response, Uber emphasized that the strike would involve only a minority of drivers and that it did not anticipate any significant impact on trip levels, prices, or driver availability. The company stated that driver earnings remained strong, with U.S. drivers making approximately $33 per utilized hour in the final quarter of 2023.
Uber also addressed concerns about driver safety, highlighting the various safety features it has implemented over the years. These include freezing rider accounts with fake names, requiring ID verification for certain riders, and plans to expand the verification of rider identities. Nonetheless, the strike planned by Justice for App Workers seeks to draw attention to ongoing grievances and to spur the app companies into making necessary changes.
The National Desk reached out to DoorDash for a statement, but as of now, the company has not responded.
The strikes on Valentine’s Day serve as a significant opportunity for union-backed groups to raise awareness about the challenges faced by rideshare and delivery drivers. While Uber downplays the effects of the strike, the drivers’ demands for fair pay and improved safety measures remain at the forefront. The outcome of the strikes will likely depend on the level of participation and the extent to which the app companies are willing to address the concerns raised by the drivers.
As the strikes unfold in multiple cities on Valentine’s Day, it remains to be seen whether the collective voice of the drivers will lead to substantial changes in the industry. In the meantime, app companies are under increasing pressure to address the issues faced by their drivers and work towards a more equitable and secure working environment.
