Uber and Lyft rideshare and delivery drivers in the sprawling metro Atlanta area came together in solidarity with their counterparts nationwide for a significant cause on May 1. They parked their vehicles and raised their voices, demanding better pay and job security.
Organized by the advocacy group Justice for App Workers, this strike is poised to disrupt the routine of many Georgians who rely on services like Uber and Lyft for their daily commute or quick deliveries. The message is clear: Abstain from using these platforms on Wednesday, and stand with the drivers in their fight for fair treatment.
Behind the scenes, drivers lament the ever-tightening squeeze on their earnings. They argue vehemently that as the cost of living rises, the pay they receive for each ride dwindles to unsustainable levels. In their eyes, it’s a stark imbalance where executives rake in the lion’s share of profits while they struggle to make ends meet.
Adding fuel to the fire are claims of arbitrary deactivations by the companies’ algorithms, leaving drivers in limbo without any semblance of job security. Worse still, there’s an accusation that drivers from marginalized communities, particularly people of color, bear the brunt of these deactivations.
In a show of strength and solidarity, local drivers planned to converge at Liberty Palaza at 11 a.m. on May 1. But Atlanta is just one battleground; similar scenes are set to unfold in cities across the United States, from the bustling streets of New York to the windy city of Chicago, and down to the charming streets of Charlotte.
Notably, Uber, one of the primary targets of this protest, has made a statement about the strikes. “As we’ve seen with past demonstrations from this small but vocal group — most recently on Valentine’s Day where we saw more drivers working compared to the year prior — we anticipate no impact to our business or rider reliability,” the spokesperson noted. “As of Q4 2023, drivers in the US were making a median of $33 per hour while on a trip, and we recently rolled out new driver protections and deactivation policy changes.”
