Washington, D.C.: On Valentine’s Day, thousands of drivers working for Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash are preparing to stage a nationwide strike, advocating for fair pay, according to drivers’ groups.
This move follows Lyft’s recent announcement of guaranteed weekly earnings for drivers, marking a significant development in the U.S. ride-hailing industry’s efforts to attract more drivers.
Lyft, set to report quarterly results on Tuesday, stated, “We are constantly working to improve the driver experience,” when approached by Reuters regarding the impending strike.
Drivers, classified as independent contractors, have long criticized the platforms for their allegedly high commissions. Jonathan Cruz, a driver in Miami and part of the Justice For App Workers coalition, described the scale of the upcoming strike as “the biggest strike I’ve ever seen, thousands and thousands of drivers … it’s going to be nationwide.”
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi recently disclosed that U.S. drivers earned an average of $33 per utilized hour in the fourth quarter. Despite this, some drivers rely on these platforms as their primary source of income.
Nicole Moore, president of the California-based Rideshare Drivers United union, expressed dissatisfaction with declining pay due to algorithmic pricing: “A year into algorithmic pricing, drivers have seen an incredible decrease of our pay… whatever calculations and algorithms they’re using, it’s useless,” she told Reuters.
As tensions escalate between drivers and the platforms, the Valentine’s Day strike is expected to amplify calls for fair compensation and improved working conditions in the gig economy.
Key Points Of this news
- Ride-sharing drivers for Uber, Lyft, and food delivery app DoorDash are planning a nationwide strike on Valentine’s Day to demand fair pay.
- The strike comes after Lyft announced it would guarantee weekly earnings for drivers, a first in the U.S. ride-hailing industry.
- Thousands of drivers are expected to participate in the strike, organized by drivers’ groups representing over 100,000 drivers.
- Drivers accuse the platforms of taking disproportionately high commissions, leading to declining pay despite efforts to attract more drivers.
- Despite earnings disclosures by Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, some drivers rely on these platforms as their primary source of income.
- The strike underscores ongoing tensions between drivers and ride-sharing companies over compensation and working conditions in the gig economy.
