On Valentine’s Day, delivery and ride-sharing drivers are going to go on strike in a number of American cities that are close to airports.
A nationwide alliance of delivery and ride-sharing drivers called Justice for App Workers said last week that it will go on strike on Wednesday. According to the coalition, among other things, the workers are demanding fair pay and safety precautions.
In the news release, the coalition stated that drivers shouldn’t have to worry about running out of money or about their apps getting disabled. In order to “demand changes from Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, and all the app companies profiting off of our hard work,” the coalition is pushing people to attend the protests with the drivers.
According to the coalition, people on strike in Rhode Island as well as the cities of Austin, Chicago, Hartford, Miami, Newark, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Tampa will not be receiving rides to and from the airport during the day.
Uber stressed in a statement to The Hill that driver compensation is “strong.” A business representative stated that the walkout shouldn’t have an effect on costs or the availability of drivers, and that Uber experienced a rise in rides during the Valentine’s Day walkout the previous year.
According to Uber’s announcement, “driver earnings remain strong, with U.S. drivers making approximately $33 per utilised hour as of Q4 2023.”
Uber updated its procedures for deactivating drivers’ accounts last year. These procedures include a review process for deactivation decisions, safeguarding drivers from unfounded accusations, and assisting drivers who were wrongfully accused of operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol in regaining their driving privileges by facilitating the submission of a drug test.
In a statement provided to The Hill, Lyft added that it has enhanced its own deactivation procedure. In addition to guaranteeing drivers at least 70% of customers’ fares after external expenses, the firm recently announced significant modifications to its driver programme. These changes include the ability to appeal a deactivation decision using the Lyft driver app.
“We are constantly working to improve the driver experience, which is why just this month we released a series of new offers and commitments aimed at increasing driver pay and transparency,”In a statement, Lyft said.
“This includes a new minimum earnings guarantee and an improved deactivation appeals process. Now, drivers will always make at least 70 percent of the weekly rider fares after external fees. It’s all part of our new customer-obsessed focus on drivers,” The statement went on.
