Uber and Lyft drivers gathered in front of the Labor Department’s Boston offices Wednesday, announcing their intention to form a union after passing a ballot measure last month that gives Massachusetts’ rideshare operators the right to organize.
Leaders from the newly formed App Drivers Union said enough rideshare motorists in the state have signed union cards.
At the Wednesday demonstration, union leadership and pro-union drivers said that forming a labor partnership would be the best way to improve working conditions and wages.
Some drivers fear losing their jobs over a bad customer interaction or a technical glitch. According to some at the event, rideshare services can deactivate driver accounts with little to no notice.
Under Ballot Question 3, which passed with 54% support in November, drivers for rideshare apps like Lyft and Uber can form unions under certain conditions.
Drivers in the state are set to vote on unionization with the App Drivers Union sometime in January.
While Ballot Question 3 gives Massachusetts drivers the option to unionize, it doesn’t make them employees of Lyft or Uber, keeping them as contractors of the rideshare companies.
Only formal employees are protected under the National Labor Relations Act, meaning any potential union could be challenged by rideshare companies in federal court.
The App Drivers Union is backed by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and 32BJ Service Employees International Union.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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