Big Tech companies think they’re entitled to use our streets as testing grounds. We see it every day in the way they treat drivers. To Big Tech, our lives, our cars and our shared public roads are just a way to make themselves richer. 

Waymo and other autonomous vehicle companies have learned from Uber and Lyft and they’re trying to do the same thing. They want to take over California on their own terms. 

Through our union, we’re fighting back! 

On Friday, Jan. 9, CGWU drivers and SEIU allies rallied outside the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to demand that lawmakers do something about Big Tech greed and recklessness. 

The fact is that robotaxis are not held accountable to the same rules as drivers, making our streets less safe, have no meaningful oversight, and directly threaten our work as gig drivers. 

Inside the hearing, which included representatives from Waymo, Uber, Lyft and other tech companies, our union sibling Joe from San Francisco made sure the worker voice was heard! 

Joe demanded that the CPUC take the risk of autonomous vehicles seriously by establishing clear safety standards and real penalties for breaking them. 

He also demanded that the CPUC work with other lawmakers to protect gig drivers and ensure that robotaxi companies can’t skate by with zero transparency or accountability. 

For too long, Big Tech companies have used their money to stomp all over our rights and hide from accountability. Through our union, we’re changing that!

If you haven’t yet signed your union card, do it today! Together, we can win what drivers deserve. 

We’ll be continuing the fight back against autonomous vehicles as the year goes on. So be sure to check your email and follow us on social media for opportunities to get involved.