{"id":8690,"date":"2019-05-06T21:13:36","date_gmt":"2019-05-06T21:13:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lavozlit.com\/?p=8690"},"modified":"2019-05-06T21:13:36","modified_gmt":"2019-05-06T21:13:36","slug":"las-vegas-uber-and-lyft-drivers-organize-solidarity-actions-with-may-8th-strikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/2019\/05\/06\/las-vegas-uber-and-lyft-drivers-organize-solidarity-actions-with-may-8th-strikes\/","title":{"rendered":"Las Vegas Uber and Lyft Drivers Organize Solidarity Actions with May 8th Strikes"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Wednesday, May 8th, Uber drivers in 8 cities across the US are sending a strong message to the ridesharing company by uniting and shutting down services.\u00a0 These strikes, which are occurring in San Francisco, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., San Diego, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, and Minneapolis, are part of a broader movement of drivers organizing and taking action to make long needed improvements in an industry characterized by long hours, low pay, and no benefits.\u00a0 Drivers are demanding increased wages, benefits, transparency of the company\u2019s finances, and the right for drivers to form independent organizations.\u00a0 This day of action comes ahead of Uber\u2019s initial public offering (IPO), the biggest in years, which is likely to value the company at over $100 billion.[1]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 Worker\u2019s Voice interviewed a group of Uber and Lyft drivers in Las Vegas to learn more about the issues facing drivers there and how they are organizing to take action on May 8th.\u00a0 (edited for clarity)
\n\u00a0<\/em>
\nWorker\u2019s Voice: What are the main issues facing drivers in Las Vegas?<\/em>
\n 
\nBen: For almost 3 years with Uber, I had a problem when they would deactivate you for no good reason.\u00a0 They told me that I drove on the freeway when I shouldn\u2019t have.\u00a0 I said that I have the right to drive on the freeway, especially if the other route is not safe, where there was an accident. I had this experience.
\n 
\nWV: Have there been issues from others around deactivating drivers\u2019 accounts?<\/em>
\n\u00a0<\/em>
\nRichard: Yes, they kept deactivating me every week when I first started driving for Uber.\u00a0 This happened because when they processed my paperwork, they entered my license information incorrectly.\u00a0 I was going through this for 3 months.\u00a0 Also, there\u2019s the issue of negative ratings.\u00a0 If I am driving an Uber pool, you can have 4 people with different personalities in the car.\u00a0 I could have a good experience with one of them who is socializing more with me, and he could give me a high rating, but the others could give me bad ratings for no reason.\u00a0 If you get a 4.60 rating Uber has a right to deactivate you.\u00a0 They don\u2019t have to give a reason why.
\n 
\n\u00a0<\/em>
\n\u00a0<\/em>
\n\u00a0<\/em>
\nWV: How are the wages for drivers in Las Vegas?<\/em>
\n\u00a0<\/em>
\nMalcolm: <\/em>Most drivers are hanging in there by a thread. We started out at a rate of $1.80 per mile, but we\u2019re now at $0.60 a mile. In addition to dropping drivers\u2019 rates, the CEO\u2019s have given themselves raises.\u00a0 Uber calls us partners, but no one ever asked me if I wanted to lower the rate.\u00a0 This is not a partnership, this is a dictatorship.
\n 
\nWV: Could you speak more about how the fares are calculated?<\/em>
\n\u00a0<\/em>
\nAhmed: The riders\u2019 receipt shows a higher fare than the driver\u2019s.\u00a0 When I talk to an Uber representative, they don\u2019t give the right amount of where the money goes.\u00a0 There are so many drivers in Vegas who go through this.\u00a0 What is Uber doing with the money that\u2019s taken away from us?
\n 
\nRichard: Uber is manipulating fares back and forth.\u00a0 There\u2019s not a set fare with passengers.
\n 
\nMalcolm: Everyone is confused as to the calculation of the fares. On one fare of $96, I receive $55.12 and Uber gets the rest.
\n\u00a0<\/em>
\nAhmed: They take out a \u2018service fee\u2019 and a \u2018booking fee.\u2019\u00a0 I want to know what are the booking and service fees.\u00a0 When I called them about the fare adjustments, or ask about the booking fees, their exact quote is that \u2018this evens out in the end for you.\u2019\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t make sense.\u00a0 How does this even out for me?\u00a0 They should have a flat rate.
\n 
\nWV: Could you explain what the fare adjustments are?<\/em>
\n\u00a0<\/em>
\nAhmed:\u00a0 <\/strong>You can give customers the option of which route they prefer to take.\u00a0 Uber always charges the customer the longest way, no matter which way you go.\u00a0 When the driver takes the fastest way, Uber will adjust the fare.
\n\u00a0<\/strong>
\nBen: I had a ride the other day, and Uber made an adjustment because they thought I was ripping off the customer by taking the freeway, but it was the faster route.\u00a0 The rider didn\u2019t complain about this.\u00a0 They always rip off the driver, even though the riders are not complaining.\u00a0 They want to take more of the money from the driver.
\n 
\nWV: Uber has claimed that they are losing money in recent years; what are your thoughts on this claim?<\/em>
\n 
\nAhmed: They are ripping us off from the start.\u00a0 They are taking more of a percentage out of our cut.\u00a0 This money is supposed to go to the drivers.\u00a0 They are investing money, over the past couple of years, in autonomous cars.\u00a0 Uber keeps saying they are losing money, in actuality they are investing in autonomous cars in order to get rid of drivers.
\n 
\nMalcolm: Uber is claiming they are losing money, but the CEO made $48 million last year when drivers are struggling here to make a few pennies.\u00a0\u00a0 We\u2019re in the trenches, while those guys are sitting in their offices making millions.\u00a0 Regardless of what people say, this is the reality of Uber drivers.\u00a0 We\u2019re living paycheck to paycheck.\u00a0 Living day to day.
\n 
\nWV: What are the main demands for the May 8th day of action?<\/em>
\n\u00a0<\/em>
\nMalcolm: We want fair wages, we want to be able to afford to put food on the table, drive our cars and pay for the maintenance, and make a living wage.\u00a0 I want to be part of an organization that values my opinion and where we drivers have a voice.\u00a0 This is a big issue and it\u2019s why we are all going to unite and shut down on Wednesday.
\n\u00a0<\/strong>
\nWV: What\u2019s the plan for drivers in Las Vegas?\u00a0 <\/em>
\n\u00a0<\/em>
\nMalcolm: \u00a0We are all going to meet together in the airport staging area and have a big potluck with all the drivers.\u00a0 We\u2019re doing this in solidarity with the cities that are officially striking.\u00a0 We have the right to not want to take rides.\u00a0 We are independent contractors, as they always call us, so we making the decision not to work from 12pm to 12am.
\n\u00a0<\/em>
\nWV: Why are drivers striking on May 8th?<\/em>
\n 
\nMalcolm: We\u2019re taking strike action because we want Uber to realize that they are making profits thanks to the drivers.\u00a0 This is ahead of the IPO drop. It will drop on May 9, so we want to be able to do this to make an impact and send a message to investors.\u00a0 We want a fair share of the money they are making.\u00a0 We\u2019re going to go on strike, because it hurts their bottom line. \u00a0Many people can\u2019t afford to not work on May 8th, but we need to unite as drivers to take action to improve our situation.
\n[1]<\/sup><\/a>Gibson, Kate.\u00a0 \u201cUber and Lyft Drivers Plan 24-Hour Strike to Protest Pay.\u201d CBS News.<\/u> 25 April 2019.\u00a0 https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/uber-lyft-drivers-plan-24-hour-strike-to-protest-pay\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Wednesday, May 8th, Uber drivers in 8 cities across the US are sending a strong message to the ridesharing company by uniting and shutting down services.\u00a0 These strikes, which are occurring in San Francisco, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., San Diego, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, and Minneapolis, are part of a broader movement of drivers organizing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13882120,"featured_media":8691,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Las Vegas Uber and Lyft Drivers Organize Solidarity Actions with May 8th Strikes","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[27671],"tags":[11898,29899,29900,29759,29901,29902],"class_list":["post-8690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized-en","tag-labor","tag-lyft","tag-ride-share","tag-strikes","tag-uber","tag-work-stoppages"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.2","language":"es","enabled_languages":["en","es"],"languages":{"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"es":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false}}},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pdQxqk-2ga","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13882120"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8690"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8690\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}