Historic Milestone: Public Employee Relations Board Verifies That California Gig Workers Union Has Drivers’ Support to Represent Uber and Lyft Gig Rideshare Drivers Across the State

Gig drivers in California won their union Friday, establishing the largest union of gig rideshare drivers in the world. The California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), the state agency overseeing gig drivers newly-won collective bargaining rights, informed the California Gig Workers Union (CGWU) that the organization had reached the threshold to represent gig drivers across the state. After a 30-day waiting period, CGWU is expected to be certified as the collective bargaining representative for California Uber and Lyft drivers as “no other driver organization is currently eligible to submit proof of support during this period,” according to PERB.

“It’s taken more than a decade to reach this moment, and every step of the way, gig drivers have built unstoppable momentum through their courage,” said David Green, SEIU 721 President and Executive Director. “This is a proud day for our union, for the labor movement, and for workers who believe that they deserve to be heard on the job.” 

“We built this movement because gig drivers spoke to other gig drivers, across languages, across counties, in airport parking lots, by text, and on social media,” said Margarita Penalosa, an Uber and Lyft driver based in Los Angeles. “We overcame fear, hundreds of millions of dollars spent by the gig companies to undermine our rights at the ballot and proved it’s not the gig apps that connects us, it’s our shared demand for fair pay and treatment as gig workers.”

The victory to become the union for all of California’s Uber and Lyft drivers comes after more than a decade of gig drivers organizing with SEIU to have a voice on the job with a union, with unions SEIU 521, SEIU 721, and SEIU 1021 standing with gig drivers to establish California Gig Workers Union, an organization dedicated to ensuring that workers in the gig economy had a meaningful say in their pay and working conditions. From passing state legislation and leading the fight against Prop 22 at the ballot and all the way to the California Supreme Court, gig drivers have led the way in fights that eventually led to the passage of AB 1340 in 2025 that gave gig rideshare drivers the right to form a union and collectively bargain with gig rideshare corporations.

Gig rideshare drivers have been calling, texting, emailing, and meeting with fellow Uber and Lyft drivers and urging them to sign cards in support of forming a California Gig Workers Union since the passage of AB 1340. In their organizing drive to collect union authorization cards, gig drivers organized in more than a dozen languages, and leveraged the power of social media and peer-to-peer texting and emails to urge rideshare drivers to unionize.

“We worked tirelessly to win this union, spending thousands of hours, calling, texting and meeting our fellow drivers all across the state,” said Vikaas Shanker, a gig rideshare driver from Fresno. “We’re so happy and proud to have finally won our union, and that we will get Uber and Lyft to the table so we can bargain with the gig companies for what we need: strong pay, adequate benefits, and dignified working conditions. For too long, we have been without what we need to work and survive. Establishing our union is the first step toward change.” 

“This union drive has changed my life,” said Bay Area Uber and Lyft driver Hector Castellanos. “I’ve made lifelong friends and feel so much less alone. Organizing is powerful, and I know that united gig drivers will win the dignified working conditions that we deserve. This union will change the lives of thousands and thousands of families across the state. Of course, our job is far from over, and we plan to continue our strong organizing as we fight for all California gig drivers at the bargaining table with Uber and Lyft.”

“Building the largest gig driver union in the world from the ground up is proof that when workers stand together, we can change history,” said Theresa Rutherford, SEIU 1021 President. “Gig drivers organized against incredible odds, refused to be silenced, and showed that solidarity is stronger than corporations’ millions. SEIU is proud to have stood with drivers every step of the way and that California is building a worker-first economy with a union for gig drivers. What gig drivers have achieved here shows what’s possible for workers everywhere.”

“A union for gig drivers isn’t just about improving pay and working conditions at the bargaining table, it’s also about making sure that gig drivers have a voice in every decision that impacts their livelihoods,” said SEIU 521 Chief Elected Officer Riko Mendez. “For too long, gig drivers have been excluded from conversations about the policies and deployment of technology that shape their work everyday. That changes with CGWU. Gig drivers deserve a seat at the table to shape a fairer future for themselves and for the next generation of workers.”