Mass. rideshare drivers unionize in U.S. first
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Massachusetts rideshare drivers made U.S. labor history last week, becoming the first gig workers in the country to achieve formal union certification.
Why it matters: The certification covers around 70,000 drivers who remain classified as independent contractors — a distinction that makes this union arrangement unprecedented in American labor law.
- The new App Drivers Union says the drivers represent the largest private-sector workforce to win union recognition since Ford autoworkers organized in 1941.
Catch up quick: Massachusetts drivers became legally allowed to pursue unionization after voters approved the right to organize in a 2024 ballot measure.
- That followed a $175-million 2024 settlement in which Attorney General Andrea Campbell and companies like Uber and Lyft agreed on extending some benefits to drivers while preserving independent contractor status.
The App Drivers Union, an affiliate of 32BJ SEIU and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, got the go-ahead from the state's Department of Labor Relations on Friday.
- The union now has exclusive bargaining authority over a large share of Massachusetts Uber and Lyft drivers on issues like wages, hours and working conditions.
What's next: Contract negotiations are expected to begin shortly. The union says it's targeting pay rates and safety standards.
- Both Lyft and Uber said they would engage in good-faith bargaining.