App-based ride-hailing drivers throughout California are holding a day-long strike on Wednesday in support of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act.
The striking drivers say they want Congress to pass the PRO Act and extend collective bargaining rights to "misclassified independent contractors, including app-based workers."
Independent contractors are not covered by the National Labor Relations Act, which guarantees the right of private employees to organize.
"Misclassification is like concrete, keeping us underground. The PRO Act is the jackhammer that will break that concrete apart, allowing app-based workers to organize," Eve Aruguete said in a statement. Aruguete is a driver from Oakland and an organizer with Rideshare Drivers United.
Chris Jurrace is a driver and a contributor to The Rideshare Guy blog. He told KNX that being a driver is becoming more difficult.
Jurrace said, "both Uber and Lyft, they've reduced the mileage rates that drivers have been getting. They're lowering commissions."
Esterphanie St. Juste is a long-time Uber and Lyft driver at Los Angeles International Airport. According to St. Juste, rides at the new rate of .32 per mile from the airport are not worth it.
"I'm surprised anybody is there at all. It won't even cover your gas, forget your time. And on top of that it's an insult."
Companies like Uber and DoorDash previously came under fire for their aggressive support of Proposition 22, which shielded apps from California labor laws that would have required drivers to be considered employees instead of independent contractors.
Some of the Uber's drivers even filed a class-action lawsuit claiming the company illegally coerced its drivers into supporting the ballot measure.
"Uber's threats and constant barrage of Prop 22 propaganda on an app the drivers must use to do their work have one purpose: to coerce the drivers to support Uber's political battle to strip them of workplace protections," David Lowe, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said in a statement.
The companies argued that being able to keep drivers as independent contractors would give drivers increased freedom and benefits. The Mercury News reported that Uber, Lyft and other tech companies raised around $200 million to push the measure.
The proposition passed in Nov. 2020.
"They promised us flexibility, greater control and greater transparency," said driver Carlos Pelayo.
"But since Prop 22 passed, I have less control over where I drive, who I pick up and how much I make. Prop 22 was the most expensive lie ever told to California voters."
Lyft praised Prop 22 on its website, saying it allows drivers in California to work "under a new model that gives them historic new benefits and protections: a healthcare stipend of up to $4,800 per year, workplace injury protections, and a minimum earnings guarantee, all while ensuring that drivers keep what they want most: flexibility and independence."
The LA Times reported that representatives for Lyft and Uber said they have "not observed higher fares or longer wait times during strikes, and do not anticipate either of those things this time around."
Striking drivers said they will be holding rallies Wednesday in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego.
