‘This is the biggest strike I’ve ever seen’: DoorDash, Uber and Lyft drivers to strike on Valentine’s Day

Paul Hoskin
·3 min read
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Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock

Thousands of Uber, Lyft and DoorDash drivers will be protesting on Valentine’s Day among urban cities in North America and the U.K., claiming that there are issues of declining pay and unsafe working conditions.

According to Business Insider, drivers in roughly 20 metropolitan areas will be seen protesting on Feb. 14, including:

  • Atlanta.

  • Boston.

  • Chicago.

  • Dallas.

  • Phoenix.

  • San Francisco.

  • Toronto.

  • Vancouver, British Columbia.

Per Fox Business, Justice for App Workers — a national coalition movement with over 130,000 ride-share drivers — first announced the protest last week. Drivers reportedly will be protesting outside of airports and Uber offices, reported NBC News.

Why are drivers protesting?

Drivers claim that they, as independent contractors, are given unfair wages and are mistreated in commission rates among their respective companies.

Justice for App Workers, who will be protesting at U.S. international airports, shared on its blog post:

“We’re sick of working 80 hours/week just to make ends meet, being constantly scared for our safety, and worrying about being deactivated with the click of a button.”

Shantwan Humphrey, a driver in Dallas, Texas, shared to Reuters, “By not paying drivers a livable wage, drivers are barely able to afford the bare necessities.”

As reported by Business Insider, several Uber and Lyft drivers said that ride-sharing has become less profitable in recent months due possibly to high driver supply and the calculation of “up-front fares” — allowing drivers to know how much they’ll make per trip.

What are examples of unions and coalitions protesting?

Rideshare Drivers United, a nonaffiliated, independent union for drivers of Uber and Lyft, announced on its website a “Los Angeles Drivers Day of Action” protest, where LA drivers on Wednesday are refraining from using the app to send a message to companies and lawmakers to make changes.

In the U.K., a spokesperson for campaign group Delivery Job U.K. shared to CNN that over 3,000 Portuguese-speaking food delivery drivers — most of which work across multiple platforms — are expected to strike.

“Our request is simple: We want fair compensation for the work we do. We are tired of being exploited,” said an Instagram post by the U.K. group via CNN. “Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love, but it should not overshadow our struggle.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Delivery Job UK (@deliveryjobuk)

Have companies responded to the protests?

CNN received several responses from company spokespersons about the upcoming protests:

  • Uber Eats: “We know that the vast majority of couriers are satisfied with their experience on the app, and we regularly engage with couriers to look at how we can improve their experience.”

  • Deliveroo: “We value dialogue with riders, which is why we have a voluntary partnership agreement with a trade union, which includes annual discussions on pay.”

  • Just Eat (U.K.): “Our data shows that couriers delivering for Just Eat earn, on average, significantly over both the London and national living wage for the time they are on an order.”

  • Lyft: The company is “constantly working to improve the driver experience,” recently introducing a weekly earnings guarantee minimum for their drivers.

Despite these responses, union groups and coalitions are looking forward to protest for improved work conditions.

“This is the biggest strike I’ve ever seen, thousands and thousands of drivers ... it’s going to be nationwide,” said Jonathan Cruz, a driver in Miami and part of the Justice For App Workers coalition, per Reuters.