First US rideshare union — 70,000 Massachusetts drivers organize
TL;DR
Massachusetts Uber and Lyft drivers formed the App Drivers Union — the first officially recognized rideshare worker union in the US. 70,000 drivers covered, via state-law workaround of federal limits.
Massachusetts Uber and Lyft drivers officially formed a union — the first officially recognized rideshare worker organization in the US. The new App Drivers Union was certified by the Massachusetts Labor Relations Board last Friday, representing about 70,000 drivers statewide working as independent contractors.
The two-year backdrop. Union organizing was enabled by the November 2024 Ballot Question 3, a first-in-the-nation legislative framework allowing platform drivers to organize and collectively bargain on pay and benefits. Organizing kicked off January 2025, took over a year. App Drivers Union earned support from 32% of working rideshare drivers, above the state's 25% certification threshold.
A driver's voice. Union member Prisell Polanco at the rally: «For years, drivers had no voice. We were invisible, forced to work long hours for less pay, always at risk of being replaced. But today, that changes. Now we have a union, we have power, we have a seat at the table.»
Platform response. Lyft says it will «engage in good faith» in the process. Uber says its 2024 agreement with the Massachusetts AG «demonstrated what listening to drivers can achieve», and will work closely with the union and the labor board.
Worth noting: federal law doesn't allow independent contractors to unionize. Massachusetts bypassed the federal framework via state legislation to create a separate collective bargaining channel — hence the Governor's «changes the game for rideshare workers across the country».
via Reuters
The two-year backdrop. Union organizing was enabled by the November 2024 Ballot Question 3, a first-in-the-nation legislative framework allowing platform drivers to organize and collectively bargain on pay and benefits. Organizing kicked off January 2025, took over a year. App Drivers Union earned support from 32% of working rideshare drivers, above the state's 25% certification threshold.
A driver's voice. Union member Prisell Polanco at the rally: «For years, drivers had no voice. We were invisible, forced to work long hours for less pay, always at risk of being replaced. But today, that changes. Now we have a union, we have power, we have a seat at the table.»
Platform response. Lyft says it will «engage in good faith» in the process. Uber says its 2024 agreement with the Massachusetts AG «demonstrated what listening to drivers can achieve», and will work closely with the union and the labor board.
Worth noting: federal law doesn't allow independent contractors to unionize. Massachusetts bypassed the federal framework via state legislation to create a separate collective bargaining channel — hence the Governor's «changes the game for rideshare workers across the country».
via Reuters
