MWA Leaders Take Over Burbank Uber Hub for Food and PPE Drive for Drivers Impacted by Economic Crisis
Together with our sisters and brothers at the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, Mobile Workers Alliance drivers took over the Burbank Uber hub this morning to host a food and PPE drive for gig workers struggling amid the decline in demand for rideshare services resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Drivers distributed 500 boxes of food, highlighting the urgent need for job stability, fair wages, and other basic workplace protections for drivers.
“It is a shame, though not a surprise, that drivers are struggling to put food on the table while Uber and Lyft spend millions to buy their way out of following the law,” said Jerome Gage, a Mobile Workers Alliance leader and Uber driver in Los Angeles. “But today, we showed just how powerful we can be when we come together. Drivers have and will continue to lead the way to hold these corporations accountable, and we won’t stop until they are.”
Billion-dollar app giants Uber and Lyft have offered little support for drivers suffering in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. In fact, a recent survey of California rideshare drivers found that 48 percent of respondents anticipated needing food assistance. Nearly half of drivers, a majority of whom are people of color and immigrants and were already struggling before COVID-19, reported being out of work, with many more relying on publicly-funded programs during the pandemic as platform companies refuse to provide basic pay and the protections required under AB5.
This action is the first of many upcoming actions in our Solidarity Summer, and as we continue to support one another, and put the pressure on Uber and Lyft to pull their deceptive ballot measure, it’s crucial that we have as many drivers as possible!
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