By Jacob Wolinsky. Originally published at ValueWalk.
Drivers to Protest Outside Uber HQ Following Virtual Stockholder Meeting to Demand Company Drop Ballot Initiative Undermining Driver Rights
Dozens of drivers will caravan, renew calls for Uber to pay their fair share, comply with AB 5, and support them amid pandemic
Q1 2020 hedge fund letters, conferences and more
Protest Following Uber’s Virtual Stockholder Meeting
SAN FRANCISCO–Immediately following Uber’s virtual stockholder meeting Monday, dozens of rideshare drivers will hold a social-distancing safe rally and caravan to Uber headquarters. Drivers across California and the nation are struggling to work safely and make ends meet in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The caravan on Monday, which will circle Uber’s headquarters on Market Street in San Francisco, will call on the company to drop the $110 million dollar ballot initiative they’re helping to fund which aims to repeal Assembly Bill 5 (AB 5), the California law clarifying that companies like Uber and Lyft must offer drivers basic worker rights and protections. Drivers, who are part of the organizations We Drive Progress and Gig Workers Rising, are demanding that companies invest that money into direct relief for struggling drivers, many of whom grapple with the impossible choice of putting themselves at risk by working through the pandemic or facing severe food and housing insecurity.
WHO: Dozens of rideshare drivers (Spanish-speakers available).
WHAT: Car caravan and protest with media availability.
ROUTE: The caravan will depart from the parking lot at 840 Brannan St., San Francisco, CA and will circle Uber’s HQ at 1455 Market St., San Francisco, CA.
WHEN: Today. The caravan will depart 840 Brannan at 1:00 p.m., Monday, May 11, 2020. Driver spokespeople can be available for interviews in the REI parking lot beforehand beginning at 12:15 pm, as well as by phone throughout the day.
VISUAL: Rally outside of headquarters with drivers displaying signs, honking, and chanting from their cars as they caravan.
Drivers Pushed to the Financial Brink
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, rideshare drivers have faced increasing financial insecurity and gotten little support from Uber and Lyft as they struggle to put food on the table, pay their bills, and access unemployment benefits. According to a recent survey, two-thirds of drivers report that it is unlikely they will be able to pay their mortgage or rent in May and another quarter report they have no health insurance. Nearly half of all drivers (48%) anticipate needing food assistance in the next month.
App-based drivers across California, a majority of whom are people of color and immigrants and were already struggling before COVID-19, report that nearly half of them are out of work and many are relying on publicly-funded programs during the pandemic as platform companies refuse to provide basic pay and protections required under California law AB5.
Uber, Lyft Shift Costs to Taxpayers
Even during these difficult times, Uber and Lyft continue to misclassify drivers and refuse to pay into California’s unemployment insurance fund, pay drivers a living wage, provide access to health care, and offer paid sick leave, in violation of AB5. This even after the California Attorney General recently filed a lawsuit against both companies for their noncompliance. A report from the UC Berkeley Labor Center found that the companies owe $413 million to the state’s unemployment insurance.
We Drive Progress
We Drive Progress is a movement of app-based workers behind the wheel of every rideshare trip across Northern California. We are part of a coalition of over 24,000 drivers statewide who are responsible for the billions that companies like Uber, Lyft, and their investors pocket every year. We’re uniting to win our union and a better life for ourselves and our loved ones. @WeDriveProgress
Gig Workers Rising
Gig Workers Rising is a campaign supporting and educating app and platform workers who are organizing for better wages, working conditions, and respect. @GigWorkersRise
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