Heart for justice, employees demand fair payment on the day of love.
Thousands of drivers and delivery people from sharing platforms such as Uber, Lyft and DoorDash in the United States and the United Kingdom have announced that they will stop work on Valentine's Day. This large-scale work stoppage is in response to the ongoing battle over the working conditions of drivers and delivery personnel.
A few days ago, Justice for App Workers, a coalition that represents more than 130.000 delivery workers in the United States, announced that they are dissatisfied with their unfair payment. They are demanding changes from all app companies that benefit from their efforts.
On Valentine's Day, traditionally one of the busiest days for the industry, the group announced a two-hour halt to operations in at least 10 major US cities, including Chicago, Miami and Philadelphia. In addition, employees will refuse all requests to and from airports throughout the day.
Justice for App Workers stated last week that drivers are tired of being treated poorly by the app companies. They are exhausted from working long hours to make ends meet, live in constant fear for their safety and worry about the possibility of being deactivated at any time. As a result, they are considering going on strike.
Lyft announced it would guarantee a weekly income for its drivers, which provoked the upcoming protests, planned a week later. The company emphasized its commitment to improving driver experience in a statement.
According to an analysis by Gridwise, a rideshare support app, Uber drivers will have experienced a 2023% drop in their gross monthly income by 17. Uber reported that drivers earned an average of $33 per hour of work utilized in the final quarter of last year.
Nicole Moore of the Rideshare Drivers United union suggests greater scrutiny is needed over the payment methods, which use an algorithmic pricing model to calculate costs for customers. Moore highlights that drivers have experienced a significant drop in revenue since the implementation of algorithmic pricing a year ago.
On Valentine's Day, Delivery Job UK, an advocacy group in the United Kingdom, announced that around 3.000 of its members plan to stage a five-hour strike. Taking to social media, the group put forward their simple demand for fair pay and expressed their frustration at being exploited. They emphasized that while Valentine's Day symbolizes love, it should not diminish the significance of their ongoing struggle.
In November, the UK Supreme Court ruled that delivery drivers are considered self-employed, not employees or employees. As a result, they are not subject to minimum wage legislation. This decision was the result of a long-term effort by the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain to collectively bargain and organize for these drivers.
