On the picket line

Tennessee gig drivers

Gig drivers in Tennessee voted to unionize last August. They formed the Tennessee Drivers Union (TDU) and demanded a fair share of the huge profits Uber and Lyft earn from their labor. They insisted on basic amenities such as a designated bathroom at the Metro Nashville Airport.

Gig drivers across the country must work as many as 12 or more hours a day just to keep a roof over their heads and put food on the table for their families — while rideshare companies take up to 80% of drivers’ earnings. TDU organized a strike on Labor Day weekend last year, filling up the airport’s rideshare lot but refusing to accept rides. The union vowed to hold more actions until their demands were met.

On Feb. 14, following a similar demonstration of worker power, 34 drivers were banned from the Nashville airport and were “deactivated” from Uber and Lyft app sites. On March 3 TDU stated: “Uber, Lyft and Metro Nashville Airport Authority are engaging in an inappropriate and malicious alliance to destroy dozens of livelihoods. The airport is one of the only opportunities for rideshare drivers to make barely above minimum wage. This is an attack against dozens of workers, their families and their communities.”

The union noted the millions of dollars in fees the airport gets from drivers and that Metro Nashville Airport Authority CEO Doug Kreulen’s salary is $600,000. (Common Dreams, March 3)

TDU is calling on other unions to support them in their struggle. New York Taxi Workers Alliance, the DMV Drivers Alliance, Atlanta Rideshare Drivers United and Amazon Labor Union have already signed on to show solidarity.

DoorDash wage theft

DoorDash drivers won a victory against the online delivery platform through a class action lawsuit charging wage theft. Following an investigation, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on March 3 that DoorDash must pay close to $17 million, to be distributed to about 60,000 drivers.

The company has misled customers into believing drivers received 100% of tips. However, Door Dash wrongfully stole customer tips to offset the base pay it guaranteed to drivers, rather than give drivers the full tips they rightfully earned.  Due to the victory, some drivers will receive as much as $14,000. At a press conference James said, “It was basically a bait-and-switch where customers thought they were supporting delivery workers, but instead they were subsidizing DoorDash instead.” (msn.com)

To avoid criminal prosecution, the company claimed it was unaware that stealing wages was illegal and said it ended the practice in 2019. That’s another example of how big corporations can create a “Get Out of Jail Free” card.

University of California strike

Over 60,000 workers held a three-day strike at 10 University of California (UC) campuses and five hospitals across the state in February to protest the university’s stonewalling during contract negotiations. Labor contracts expired last year, some as early as July. The strike was called by American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 and University Professional Technical Employees-CWA Local 9119, who previously held a strike in November alleging unfair bargaining tactics.

AFSCME Local 3299 President Michael Avant said, “Instead of addressing the decline in real wages that has fueled the staff exodus at UC Medical Centers and Campuses at the bargaining table, UC has chosen to illegally implement arbitrary rules aimed at silencing workers who are raising concerns while limiting their access to union representatives.” UPTE-CWA 9119, which represents health care, technical and research workers, joined the strike action because UC has rejected the union’s good faith proposals to deal with safe staffing, fair pay and job security. (afscme.org, Feb. 28)