Drivers demand Uber end its unfair deactivations and support their right to unionize through a State House bill backed by coalition including SEIU 32BJ, International Association of Machinists, Chinese Progressive Association, and thousands of rideshare drivers   

Unfairly deactivated drivers trying to get accounts reactivated with Uber ready to share stories, underscoring their need for due process through a union 

WHAT: Uber and Lyft drivers will gather in Lynn and make a UNION DRIVE to Uber Headquarters in Saugus. 

Drivers will demand Uber reinstate workers who have been unfairly deactivated from the platform and support the Ridehare Drivers Justice Bill, so Massachusetts Uber and Lyft drivers can form a union to end their mistreatment and low pay.

This month, drivers are also meeting directly with lawmakers to share their stories underscoring why the passage of the Rideshare Drivers Justice Bill (filed as SD 1162, and HD 2071) is essential for tens of thousands of app-based drivers across the state. Under the Rideshare Drivers Justice Bill, Massachusetts Uber and Lyft drivers would be guaranteed the straightforward ability to form a union, earn a base rate of pay and gain essential workplace protections guaranteed to other workers by the state, such as unemployment insurance and paid sick leave. 

WHEN: Tuesday, February 28. Drivers begin gathering at 11am at 596 Lynnway, Lynn, MA. Leaving at 11:45am. Arriving at 12:15pm at Uber Offices at 168 Broadway, Saugus, MA.

WHERE: Meeting at 596 Lynnway, Lynn, MA to Uber Headquarters at 168 Broadway, Saugus, MA. Interviews available in both locations.

WHO: Uber and Lyft drivers and labor and community supporters including the International Association of Machinists (IAM) and the Massachusetts Independent Drivers Guild, and Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

BOSTON, MA – Hundreds of Massachusetts Uber and Lyft drivers are taking their demand for a union straight to Uber Headquarters. After gathering in Lynn, home to many rideshare drivers, they will make a union drive to Uber headquarters in Saugus, where they will support a delegation of drivers who have been unfairly deactivated from the platform. 

The direct action signals the next phase of rideshare drivers’ campaign to win a statewide union to protect themselves as individual drivers, and to win better pay and benefits collectively. Under current law, rideshare drivers have no due process when their accounts are deactivated, leaving them with no recourse in the event of erroneous or retaliatory deactivations. This failed system leaves drivers who have been with Uber and Lyft for years at risk of losing their livelihoods at the click of a button. 

Deactivation reform would be made possible by the union rights created in the Rideshare Drivers Justice Bill (HD 2071 and SD 1162). This urgently needed legislation has led hundreds of drivers to join together in the e Drivers Demand Justice coalition, which includes Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union, the International Association of Machinists, and the Chinese Progressive Association. If signed into law, the bill would make Massachusetts the nationwide leader for worker rights within the deeply exploitative app-based transportation industry. 

Unlike any other current proposal in the nation, the Massachusetts bill would create a direct path to unionization for rideshare drivers, so they could collectively bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions, while also guaranteeing them a minimum rate of pay and certifying their right to access the state-sanctioned protections of unemployment insurance, discrimination protection, paid sick leave, workers’ compensation, and paid family leave. The lead sponsors of HD 2071 and SD 1162 are Massachusetts State Representative Frank Moran and State Senators Jason Lewis and Liz Miranda.

Uber reported $8.6 billion in revenue in the last three months of 2022, a 49 percent increase from a year earlier. Earlier in 2022, Uber revenue hit $8.1 billion over three months ending in June, more than doubling from the year prior. In the company’s quarterly earnings report, Uber stated the number of consumers and drivers using its platform was “at all-time highs.” Uber recorded 122 million people using its platform each month, up 21% from 2021.