In a landmark victory for working people and the future of app-based work organizing, rideshare drivers across Illinois are one step closer to securing a stronger voice on the job after the Illinois General Assembly passed the Rideshare Drivers’ Union Rights Bill.
The legislation, championed by the Illinois Drivers Alliance — a coalition formed by the IAM Union and SEIU Local 1 — passed both chambers of the state legislature and now heads to the Governor’s desk for signature.
“For the past few years, Illinois rideshare drivers have stood strong, demanding the right to organize and collectively bargain over many workplace standards,” said IAM Midwest Territory Special Representative Ronnie Gonzalez, the IAM lead for the campaign. “Today, the legislature showed they heard those drivers and the personal stories they have shared. This legislation isn’t just a win on paper – it is a turning point for rideshare drivers all across this state.”
“This victory belongs to the drivers who spent years speaking out about lack of safety measures, unfair deactivations, and exploitative compensation in this multibillion-dollar industry,” IAM Union Midwest Territory General Vice President Sam Cicinelli. “I am especially proud that our state and this campaign is leading the way with Massachusetts in establishing stronger protections and standards for app-based workers who provide essential, safe transportation for thousands of people. Hopefully this leads to other states doing the same for workers in this industry.”
“For too long, rideshare drivers have generated billions in wealth for major corporations without the same rights as every other worker in the U.S. to form a union and gain a voice in the decisions that impact their livelihoods,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “By passing the Rideshare Drivers’ Union Rights Bill, Illinois has created a pathway for drivers to build collective power and negotiate for the dignity and economic security they deserve. The IAM is proud to stand with these drivers as they make history and help shape the future of workers organizing in America.”
Once signed into law, the measure will allow approximately 100,000 rideshare drivers in Illinois to begin the process of electing union representation and bargaining collectively with rideshare companies for higher wages, improved benefits, stronger safety protections, and fairer working conditions.
In addition to bill sponsors Senator Villivalam and Representative Morris, the Illinois Drivers Alliance thanks Senate President Don Harmon, Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, Governor JB Pritzker, and Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton for their leadership in getting this historic legislation across the finish line.
“One of the hardest parts about being a rideshare driver is how isolating this job can feel,” said Tracy Shaw, an Illinois rideshare driver from West Rogers Park. “We work alone in our cars, without coworkers or a real support system, and when your pay drops or you get deactivated without explanation, you start to wonder if you’re the only one struggling. Through the Illinois Drivers Alliance, drivers realized we are not alone; we are stronger together. After I got in a car accident on the job, it was this driver community that carried me through. They checked on me, lifted me up, and reminded me that I wasn’t alone, because for so many drivers, this community has become family. This fight was about standing up for ourselves and for each other, and together, we won. Now, we are ready to form a union and build an even stronger community that unites drivers from every corner of Illinois.”
“I have been driving rideshare all the way back to when Uber first came to Illinois more than a decade ago,” said Juan Flores, a rideshare driver from Joliet. “At one time, this job gave me the ability to support my family and even help put my daughter through college. I was proud of the life I could build through hard work. But over the years, the pay kept shrinking while the costs of gas, insurance, and car repairs only went up. In the past few years, after everything I have given to this job, my own kids have been helping me pay the bills just so we can get by. That changes today because we can now form a union and bargain for wages that keep up with rising costs and allow us to live a full life! I am so proud of my fellow drivers and thankful to Senator Villivalam and Representative Morris for standing with us.”
The Illinois victory builds on momentum generated by another groundbreaking achievement for app-based workers. The IAM Union and SEIU made history in Massachusetts, where nearly 70,000 app-based drivers recently won official union recognition through the App Drivers Union. That effort marked the first union recognition for app-based workers anywhere in the United States and the largest private-sector organizing victory in generations.
Together, these victories demonstrate the growing strength of rideshare and app-based workers who are demanding a greater say in their working conditions and a fair share of the wealth they help create.
For the IAM Union and SEIU Local 1’s Illinois Drivers Alliance, the passing of the Rideshare Drivers’ Union Rights Bill marks the culmination of a major organizing and legislative campaign aimed at giving rideshare drivers a seat at the table on issues such as wages, safety, transparency, and job security.
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