Some New York City Uber Drivers Will Go On Strike At Noon

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You might remember last week that we reported about Uber’s plans to cut fares by about 15% in New York City. Customers are surely delighted, and some drivers are happy to have less downtime, but other drivers are less thrilled, and around 1,000 drivers are expected to go on strike today at noon.

As a service powered by independent contractors, of course, what a “strike” looks like is just a bunch of people logging out of an app. That’s why the striking drivers plan to gather at Uber’s New York headquarters in Long Island City, Queens and protest as well as logging out of their app. Participants are supposed to stay logged out for 24 hours.

“No driver wins this bidding war,” a representative of the New York Taxi Alliance, which also includes Uber drivers, told the New York Post. “What’s being auctioned off is their livelihoods and that’s unacceptable. It’s a race to the bottom.”

An Uber representative countered that the fare cuts were intended to get more passengers using the service, so drivers on the road spend less time idle. The company says that drivers’ income is up 20% since the fare cuts took effect. That’s before taking vehicle expenses like gas into account, and one driver taking part in the protest said that he

Drivers plan Uber strike at Long Island City office after company announces price cuts [WPIX]
NYC Uber drivers urge strikes over fare cuts [New York Post]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist