Massachusetts Uber, Lyft drivers certify first statewide ride-hailing union amid automation fears
Massachusetts has become the first state to recognize a union for ride-hailing drivers, marking a significant milestone for gig-economy workers. This unionization effort aims to improve pay and job stability for drivers amid concerns about automation. The certification follows a voter-approved measure that allows drivers to unionize while remaining independent contractors.
- ▪Massachusetts drivers for Uber and Lyft celebrated the certification of their union.
- ▪The union is expected to represent nearly 70,000 drivers statewide.
- ▪Uber and Lyft have expressed intentions to collaborate with the new bargaining framework.
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BOSTON — Drivers for ride-hailing apps such as Uber and Lyft celebrated Tuesday after Massachusetts became the first state to recognize their union, a milestone in the growing effort to organize gig-economy workers classified as independent contractors under federal labor law. The victory could provide a model for similar campaigns gaining traction in states including California and Illinois, where labor organizers are increasingly targeting app-based industries as drivers also grapple with the rapid expansion of self-driving technology. As drivers waved signs and chanted with the gold dome of the Massachusetts State House providing a backdrop, labor leaders described Friday’s certification as the largest private-sector organizing win since Ford autoworkers unionized in 1941.
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