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After Three Uber & Lyft Driver Strikes, NYTWA Declares Victory on Pay Raise
NYTWA Statement: "Uber and Lyft drivers held three successful strikes, showing the companies that they can't profit from driver labor if they don't respect the drivers."
New York, NY: On Wednesday, March 8, 2023, the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission voted in favor of new driver pay rules that will result in an approximately 10-percent pay increase for Uber and Lyft drivers compared to 2022 income. NYTWA members who drive for Uber and Lyft went on strike three times to protest Uber blocking their raises, which were scheduled to go into effect just before Christmas.
Today, NYTWA Executive Director Bhairavi Desai (she/her) released the following statement:
"Drivers held the line on the raises they desperately need to recover from an inflation crisis that left families having to choose between gassing up and groceries - a choice forced on them by Uber and Lyft greed. Today, after three successful strikes, we get to celebrate knowing we took back a raise that belonged to the drivers and did it by reminding the companies that drivers are organized and can defeat them.
"Our strikes also called on the TLC to act swiftly, and today, the TLC also voted to implement the rules without a normal 30-day wait period -- drivers will start to earn more per trip right away.
"Drivers won this victory with their steadfast organizing. But drivers shouldn't have had to fight so hard for the raise they were due. Already, they've lost $80 million in income since grinch Uber blocked the raise on the eve of Christmas. That $80 million in stolen raises lined the pockets of corporate executives instead of filling the plates of working-class families who paid every dime for every operating expense to keep service going for 700,000 riders a day during the worst of times with a post-pandemic slow recovery followed by crushing inflation.
"We applaud the TLC for heeding the calls of our strike to make the raises a reality. There is still more work to be done. The metrics the TLC uses to assess driver expenses are out-of-date and should be updated so that driver take-home pay after all expenses and taxes goes up to at least $25 per hour. And Uber and Lyft shouldn't be allowed to strip drivers of their livelihood by deactivating them with no warning, explanation, or recourse.
"When Uber and Lyft refused fuel surcharges to NYC drivers - after enacting them every where else - NYTWA is the organization that proposed increasing the per-mile rate based on inflation in gasoline and other car costs. We pointed out that drivers' operating costs went up by 250 percent more than household expenses like milk and bread and so called on the TLC to raise the per mile rate based on operating costs.
"This is a huge victory for NYTWA and our Uber and Lyft driver members. Strikes work. Today, we celebrate our victory, and, today, we keep fighting for more."
More about our strikes:
Check out videos and photos of NYTWA Uber & Lyft drivers' most recent strike: Watch the FB Live video of the rally here. More videos and photos can be found on our Twitter and Facebook feeds, including this video of immigrant drivers organizing in multiple languages.
**** All members of the media have permission to use videos and photos from our social media feeds. *****
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About the New York Taxi Workers Alliance
Founded in 1998, the New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA) is the over 25,000-member strong union of NYC taxicab drivers, representing yellow cab drivers, green car, and black car drivers, including drivers for Uber and Lyft. We fight for justice, rights, respect and dignity for the over 150,000 licensed men and women who often labor 12 hour shifts with little pay and few protections in the city's mobile sweatshop. Our members come from every community, garage, and neighborhood. To find out more visit NYTWA.org, follow us on twitter.com/nytwa or like us on facebook.com/nytwa.
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