As Uber Technologies, Inc., prepared to celebrate record-breaking revenue at its annual shareholder meeting on Monday, May 8, gig workers from Seattle to New York City held massive direct actions to demand that Uber improve driver safety by ending unfair terminations and paying drivers fairly for their work.

In a historic move, drivers also took their fight to the shareholders’ meeting by proposing a floor resolution, forcing Uber to listen to our concerns. On Thursday, May 4, about 100 ride-share drivers and delivery workers came together in San Francisco to caravan to the Uber Headquarters in Mission Bay.

“Gig workers are forming a united movement to demand that Uber create real improvements,” said Daryush Khodadadi-Mobarakeh, a California Gig Workers Union worker leader. “That includes driver safety; making the termination process more transparent and fair; allowing drivers to end a ride early if they feel threatened; preventing riders from using fake, untraceable names; paying us fairly and transparently; and respecting our right to organize and form democratic unions. With record revenue of $31.8 billion in 2022, Uber has no excuse not to make these essential changes.”

Uber’s policies of low pay and constant termination threats force drivers to work in dangerous conditions, pushing them to accept rides even in unpredictable and risky situations. Instead of creating a safer environment for drivers and enabling them to end rides early if they feel unsafe, Uber shifts the cost and risk of their business to drivers.

“They charge the customer much more than they pay the driver,” said Sedeq Alshujaa, an Uber driver since 2018 and a member of the California Gig Workers Union. Just last week, Alshujaa took a passenger from the Oakland airport to Mountain View and realized he only received $40 of the $95 the customer paid. 

“There’s no way to know how these rides are calculated,” Alshujaa added. “This is why I stand here today, speaking in my own name and to represent all drivers, to say that drivers need a union to protect their rights under the law.”

Low pay, especially in regions with a high cost of living like the Bay Area, means drivers struggle to make ends meet, take unsafe rides, and work longer hours. Many drivers’ wages are far below minimum wages and far from a living wage, and mounting evidence shows Uber taking an increasing portion of our fares.

A survey of 800 California drivers found that over two-thirds had been terminated, with drivers of color more likely to be terminated than white drivers. Uber terminates drivers for low acceptance ratings and customer complaints, which often means refusing or ending unsafe rides, putting drivers at risk. Moreover, Uber terminates drivers abruptly without explanation or an opportunity to appeal, leaving them struggling to pay for housing and other essentials.

Black, Indigenous, and other people of color driving for Uber report being threatened, harassed, and experiencing violent behavior on the job at higher rates than white drivers. A new report by Gig Workers Rising, Power Switch Action, and the Action Center for Race and the Economy found that 77 percent of murdered app drivers were people of color. Uber’s negligence in addressing these dangers jeopardizes the Black, brown, and immigrant communities that comprise most of the company’s workforce. So far, Uber has refused to comment on these alarming figures.

Despite growing evidence of the violence drivers face, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi was awarded a performance-based compensation of $1 million for making “safety improvements” on the platform, while Uber and other gig corporations spend millions to silence driver voices.

One month ago, the California First District Court of Appeal ruled to uphold a significant part of Proposition 22. But the judges also tossed out one section of the ballot measure prohibiting workers from collective bargaining, making unionization possible. SEIU California is appealing the ruling to the California Supreme Court.