Thousands of US Uber and Lyft drivers plan Valentine's Day strikes - eviltoast

Thousands of U.S. ride-hailing workers plan to park their cars and picket at major U.S. airports Wednesday in what organizers say is their largest strike yet in a drive for better pay and benefits.

Uber and Lyft drivers plan daylong strikes in Chicago; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Miami; Orlando and Tampa, Florida; Hartford, Connecticut; Newark, New Jersey; Austin, Texas; and Providence, Rhode Island. Drivers also plan to hold midday demonstrations at airports in those cities, according to Justice for App Workers, the group organizing the effort.

  • trackcharlie@lemmynsfw.com
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    9 months ago

    They can strike all they want, they work for a business whose model only functions off of squeezing their employees, so it’s either squeeze the employee’s or collapse.

    Personally I think they should collapse and people should riot in the streets until their respective governments cave and say fuck you to the oil industry and start building public transport infrastructure

      • trackcharlie@lemmynsfw.com
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        9 months ago

        They should just quit and find other work.

        Striking in a dead industry is pointless and a complete waste of time and effort, not to mention actively detrimental to those wasting their time doing this instead of specializing in a different career.

        • Rediphile@lemmy.ca
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          9 months ago

          Yeah, striking as contractors isn’t meaningful. I fully support strikes btw and am far left, but it just doesn’t work for contract work. It only works when a legitimate union is formed. And the first step to achieving that is the refusal of contract work.

          • trackcharlie@lemmynsfw.com
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            9 months ago

            Yep. It’s seriously disconcerting the number of people who fundamentally don’t understand basic concepts of employment

    • Neato@ttrpg.network
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      9 months ago

      What would actually happen is shitty taxis would come back and most places in the US would lose the ability to get ad hoc transportation.

      • trackcharlie@lemmynsfw.com
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        9 months ago

        So be it.

        If you don’t fight for it you don’t get it.

        No amount of striking will make ridesharing (or taxis for that matter) profitable and their employee’s paid a living wage.

        End of story.

  • Upsidedownturtle@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Somehow I don’t believe their numbers. Average $30/hr and $23/hr after expenses. IRS milage is $0.67/mi. Are they really saying über drivers are only driving about 10 miles every hour, or are they just offloading that working expense onto drivers and only accounting for the ~$3 per gallon fuel consumption?

    • LifeOfChance@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Yupp! My dad does Uber and he went out about an hour ago and is already up $250 without even being in a surge area. He’s expecting to make about $5k today/tonight working from 10am-1am. He says he’s never had them back to back like he is today. He expects tonight to be stupid busy and again over the weekend.

    • Rediphile@lemmy.ca
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      9 months ago

      Obviously yes. I imagine many people with nearly dead accounts will check the app and work this, and only this, day specifically for a good rate.

      That’s how contract employment works. Work when you want at a price that you agree to. No guarantees and no commitment. It’s no way to live, which is why I pursued a salaried career. But it is useful in specific situations.

  • werefreeatlast@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Today is the day. Are they doing it? I mean are they going on strike! Please don’t tell me if they currently doing it, or what their favorite position is

    • Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      9 months ago

      It varies greatly from region to region. Don’t assume that money will keep coming. In a couple of years the roads could very well be saturated by other drivers.