70,000+ Uber, Lyft drivers win right to organize a union as voters back first-of-its-kind ballot initiative
Victory follows two years of organizing, massive driver-led get-out-the-vote effort
MASSACHUSETTS – Voters in Massachusetts on Election Day approved Question 3, a historic ballot initiative that gives drivers for companies like Uber and Lyft the right to form a union and negotiate industry-wide standards to improve pay, benefits and working conditions.
The passage of Question 3 establishes Massachusetts drivers’ right to organize a union across the state’s rideshare industry, a first in the United States. The Election Day victory marks the culmination of two-plus years of organizing across the state by thousands of rideshare drivers, together with the International Association of Machinists and SEIU 32BJ.
Until now, there has been no state or federal process for rideshare drivers to join a union or bargain collectively. With Question 3’s approval by voters, rideshare drivers in Massachusetts now have the same right millions of other workers across the state enjoy – the option to join together in a union.
“With the passage of Question 3, drivers like me can finally have a voice on the job,” said Prisell Polanco, of Newton, who drives for Uber and Lyft. “With a union, we can make the multi-billion-dollar corporations hear our needs, and we can fight for a rideshare industry that supports drivers and is safe for passengers. Our victory shows what is possible when we all come together — and now it’s time for us to start forming our union. We’ve waited long enough to win better pay, safer conditions and a fair process for deactivations. A union is our path to a brighter future.”
Now that voters have provided a path for drivers to form a union, 32BJ and the Machinists are committed to continuing their support for drivers as they work towards making history and building their union. After two years of organizing, competing employer ballot initiatives and debates over potential legislation, there should be no further delay. With the passage of Question 3, drivers have a definitive path toward building an organization of their own to provide a voice in an industry dominated by powerful corporations.
“We cannot wait any longer to begin to exercise our union rights – the same union rights that have provided millions of workers in Massachusetts and across the country with secure, good-paying jobs,” said Yosef Woldeyes, of Dorchester, who drives for Uber and Lyft. “Drivers like us are parents, grandparents, siblings, neighbors and members of Massachusetts communities who depend on our jobs to provide for our families. With a union, we can sit down with Uber and Lyft and shape a rideshare industry that works for all of us – drivers and riders.”
A TWO-MONTH BLITZ TO YES
Following years of organizing, drivers submitted the signatures needed for the ballot measure to qualify and launched an aggressive two-plus-month blitz to Election Day to educate voters in every corner of the state about why drivers need the right to a union.
Drivers for Uber and Lyft reached out to more than 160,000 voters directly, knocking on doors and calling voters in Brockton, Boston, Worcester, Springfield, Roxbury, Lawrence and more. A seven figure Yes on 3 ad campaign featuring drivers notched more than 176 million impressions across social media and streaming platforms, drove 400,000 clicks to VoteYeson3Mass.com and resulted in nearly 65 million video ad views.
Drivers won endorsements for their campaign from more than 50 local, state and federal elected officials, including U.S. Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Jim McGovern and Attorney Gen. Andrea Campbell; dozens of local and national community organizations; and media outlets like the Boston Globe and Berkshire Eagle. Stories of drivers’ demand for a union and their struggles to support their families while working in the rideshare industry blanketed news outlets statewide. Additionally, dozens of community-based organizations, in towns and cities where drivers reside, supported the campaign through direct voter contact.
“Working people in Massachusetts have won a monumental victory with Question 3 — one that expands labor law in the state to finally include rideshare drivers,” said Roxana Rivera, 32BJ SEIU Assistant to the President and co-chair of the Yes On 3 campaign.“Massachusetts voters have shown us they want drivers to have a meaningful check against the growing power of app-based companies: by empowering them to join together in a union. SEIU 32BJ has always backed working people in their big fights to achieve big things, and Question 3 is no different. We expect prompt implementation and are excited to support Massachusetts’ rideshare drivers as they build their union.”
A VOICE FOR HIGHER PAY AND AGAINST DEACTIVATIONS
Throughout their Yes on 3 campaign, drivers across Massachusetts spoke out about the need to increase pay and improve working conditions. The wages drivers are paid don’t include the expenses that come out of drivers’ pockets for vehicles, gas, insurance and maintenance and it only covers the times when a passenger is in the car or the driver is picking up a passenger. When those expenses are accounted for, most drivers make less than the Massachusetts minimum wage of $15 an hour.
The vast majority of rideshare rides in Massachusetts are performed by drivers working more than 10 hours a week and for whom rideshare work represents a significant portion of their ability to make ends meet. That makes it particularly tough when they are suddenly deactivated from the apps that are their bread and butter. As they spoke with voters across the state, drivers highlighted the need for a voice on the job and a fair process to address deactivations that threaten their ability to support their families and leave them in constant fear.
“Rideshare drivers are the backbone of the gig economy, ensuring millions of people across our state reach their destinations safely,” said Mike Vartabedian, District 15 Directing Business Manager for the International Association of Machinists and co-chair of the Yes on 3 Campaign. “With the legislative and ballot debates complete, we are hopeful that the collective bargaining process brings drivers the improvements they need to help make their jobs sustainable ones that allow them to support their families.”
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT DRIVERS’ HISTORIC WIN
U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (MA-07): “Massachusetts rideshare drivers have made history — not just for drivers but for every worker. The right to choose to join a union is a fundamental workers’ rights issue. Throughout this campaign, it has been an honor to meet with rideshare drivers across the Commonwealth, to be invited into their homes and to hear stories of their struggles and their aspirations. I have been inspired by their courageous fight and I have been so proud to stand with them as they organized for the right to join a union and win the pay, benefits, and worker protections that come with it.”
U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern (MA-02): “Congratulations to rideshare drivers across our state who have won a path to organizing a union. During this campaign, I have been proud to join together with many rideshare drivers in my district, learn from them about what they need to improve their jobs and stand with them in their fight for the option to join a union. I look forward to being wind at their backs as they embark on the next step of their journey to win fair pay and good working conditions.”
Attorney Gen. Andrea Campbell: “Once again, Massachusetts is leading the way. The passage of Question 3 is an important step forward for our state’s rideshare drivers that builds on the foundation of our settlement with Uber and Lyft to secure an unprecedented package of minimum wage, benefits and protections for drivers. Now, our state can be proud to have extended to those drivers the right to organize and collectively bargain–a right already enjoyed by millions of other workers across the state.”
Assistant Leader Frank Moran: “Here in Massachusetts, we know the power of unions. We’ve always led the way in protecting workers, and passing Question 3 is no different. I’ve been proud to stand with them in the streets and at the Statehouse, as they’ve stood up for higher pay and job protections. I’m thrilled to say that Massachusetts has made labor history once again.”
Sen. Liz Miranda: “Our state’s Black, brown and immigrant rideshare drivers fuel our communities, get us where we need to go and, today, showed us what it looks like to fight for a future where every worker in Massachusetts has a voice and dignity on the job. Question 3 represents a new path toward opportunity and justice for 70,000 rideshare drivers in our state, and I congratulate them on their victory.”
Sen. Jason Lewis: “Massachusetts rideshare drivers’ victory today is a major step forward for economic, racial and worker justice in our state — and it’s a major step forward for holding accountable multi-billion-dollar companies like Uber and Lyft. Rideshare drivers across our state have proven that nothing is more powerful than working people joining together behind one righteous cause. I also want to thank 32BJ SEIU, the International Association of Machinists and the Chinese Progressive Association for their leadership.”
Karen Chen, executive director of the Chinese Progressive Association: “We are creating a future where drivers are empowered to negotiate for their safety, working conditions, pay, benefits and more. Their hard work and commitment make our experience as riders safer and more efficient, and it’s about time they had the option to join together in a union like millions of other workers across the state.”
Shanique Rodriguez, executive director of the MA Voter Table: “Our Table has been proud to support rideshare drivers’ campaign to win the right to form a union because those drivers are the very same community members we work every day to empower and engage. Together, by mobilizing thousands of our community members to the polls to support Question 3, we have won significant progress for the rights of all workers in Massachusetts.”
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