Massachusetts has become the first state to recognize the App Drivers Union, whose organizers said it ultimately will represent nearly 70,000 drivers for ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft.
With that membership, it would be the largest group of private-sector workers to have their union recognized since Ford workers joined the United Auto Workers in 1941.
Massachusetts voters approved a ballot measure in 2024 that gave ride-hailing drivers the right to unionize, making it the first state to create a framework for drivers to collectively bargain and remain independent contractors. The union victory is a milestone in expanding efforts nationally to organize gig-economy workers, whom federal law classifies as independent contractors and not employees.
Uber and Lyft have pledged to work with the new bargaining framework. The App Drivers Union is affiliated with the Service Employees International Union and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.
Drivers, who cover many work expenses themselves, have become frustrated with rising vehicle costs, fluctuating pay and opaque app algorithms. At the same time, autonomous vehicle technology has been advancing and expanding.
NBC News, May 25
Associated Press, May 27