Uber Drivers to Stage 'Global Day of Protest'

Uber Drivers to Stage 'Global Day of Protest'
http://mashable.com/2014/10/22/uber-protests/

Uber drivers gather at the company's Long Island headquarters on Sept. 8, 2014.IMAGE: FACEBOOK, UBER DRIVERS NETWORK NYC

BY JESSICA PLAUTZ
3 HOURS AGO
UPDATED 2:53 p.m. ET

Uber drivers in several cities are set to stage a "Global Day of Protest" on Wednesday.

From 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET, drivers in cities including New York, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and London plan to protest the app's rating system, compensation, and driver safety and treatment.

SEE ALSO: Uber Cuts Prices in NYC, Claims It's Now Cheaper Than Taxis

The worldwide protest is the latest in a series of actions taken by drivers with the ridesharing company, which matches customers and drivers via mobile app. However, Uber says the protesters do not represent all drivers.

“The group protesting today represents a fraction of all Uber partners; the reality is that thousands of partners are out driving on the platform right now,” an Uber spokesperson toldMashable.

Drivers working for Uber, as well as other ridesharing companies like Lyft and Sidecar, do not belong to a union. Instead, they work as independent contractors. Protest organizers want to change that.

A nonprofit called the California App-Based Drivers Association organized the Teamsters-supported protests in Los Angeles and San Diego, so Uber drivers can negotiate for better pay and working conditions. The organization has also been distributing fliers to spread the word about the global protest.

The flyer from CADA notifying drivers of a Global Day of Protest.
IMAGE: CADA
In New York, Uber Drivers Network NYC said local drivers are working toward unionizing. The organizers posted on their Facebook page, calling for a strike Wednesday:

The post reiterated the goals of the Global Day of Protest, but took it a step further by calling specifically for a three-hour strike.

We ask ALL of you to stand in solidarity with CADA by SHUTTING OFF our Uber phones on Wednesday October 22nd 2014 [10/22]. Our phones will be OFF as a strike againt Uber! Join us to show them that WE make Uber and that without us, they don't exist!

On one online forum, however, some drivers have been confused about the protest's details, asking if it would be a three- or 24-hour strike.

An attempted strike in September faced similar challenges. On the Uber Drivers Network NYC Facebook page, organizers said it was difficult to inform drivers about the protest when it was clear some were still working.

Such divided opinions among Uber drivers suggests some are conflicted over whether protests are needed, or may be due to concerns that public protests will be condemned by the company. They could also be a result of difficulty in coordinating protests.

Uber sent the following statement to Mashable in response to Wednesday's protests:

“Four years ago, the only choice for drivers was to start the day more than $100 in the hole to rent a taxi -– today, hundreds of thousands of drivers take to the road on the Uber platform. Uber powers entrepreneurship by providing the tools to build a small business. The thousands of drivers driving on the platform at this moment are a testament to that opportunity.”