http://themilitant.com/2015/7940/794032.html
The Militant (logo)
Vol. 79/No. 40 November 9, 2015
—ON THE PICKET LINE—
Maggie Trowe, Editor
Militant/Jeff Powers
Abe Husein, with megaphone, a leader of the Uber Freedom movement, at
Oct. 16 rally at Uber headquarters in San Francisco demanding company
raise drivers’ pay to cover car costs.
Help the Militant cover labor struggles across
the country!
This column is dedicated to giving voice to those engaged in battle
and building solidarity today — including workers fighting for $15 and a
union; locked-out ATI Steelworkers; auto, steel and Verizon workers
whose contracts have expired. I invite those involved in workers’
battles to contact me at 306 W. 37th St., 13th Floor, New York, NY
10018; or (212) 244-4899; or themilitant@xxxxxxx. We’ll work together to
ensure your story is told.
— Maggie Trowe
Uber drivers rally in San Francisco, begin to organize
SAN FRANCISCO — Thirty Uber drivers rallied in front of the company’s
national office here Oct. 16. Abe Husein, 29, organizer of the Uber
Freedom movement from Kansas City, Missouri, said his group had called
for a nationwide strike Oct. 16-18 and is building a national
organization of Uber drivers.
Uber Freedom demands the company raise UberX (the least expensive ride)
fares by 60 percent, add a tip option on the online order form and raise
the minimum fare and cancellation fee to $7 each.
Uber, the largest of a number of on-demand transportation companies
launched in recent years, connects riders to drivers through an online
website.
The company treats drivers, who they call “partners,” as independent
contractors. By providing and maintaining their own vehicles, the
company claims they can gross $35 an hour. But when the cost of gas,
insurance and vehicle upkeep are taken into consideration, what drivers
take home is often less than the minimum wage.
In an interview published Sept. 30 in the Pitch, a Kansas City weekly,
Husein said that when he started driving for Uber in March riders paid
$1.85 per mile. When he quit in August, after the company deactivated
his account in retaliation for organizing drivers, the charge had
dropped to $1 per mile.
“Of that $1, Uber takes 20 cents off the top. In addition, Uber takes a
$1 ‘safe-ride’ fee” on each fare, Husein said. So after car costs,
“drivers are making, what, 10 cents or 15 cents profit per mile?”
“Uber is taking away full-time taxi and limousine driver jobs by hiring
more part-time drivers,” Husein told the Militant at the rally.
Husein supports a class action lawsuit against Uber demanding the
company recognize drivers as employees. “But our thing is immediate
action,” he said. “These suits take them a long time in court with no
results. I hope our actions can lead us to become an organization or
association where Uber drivers can organize themselves.”
— Gerardo Sanchez
Silicon Valley shuttle bus drivers join Teamsters union
OAKLAND, Calif. — San Francisco Bay Area shuttle bus drivers are joining
the Teamsters union and fighting for higher pay and improved benefits.
Hundreds of drivers transport thousands of employees from all over the
Bay Area to their jobs at technology companies in Silicon Valley around
the southern portion of the bay. Apple Computer alone shuttles 5,000
people daily.
Facebook shuttle drivers, who work for Loop Transportation, were the
first to organize, voting for representation by Teamsters Local 853 in
November 2014. Three months later the 87 drivers won a contract that
raised their average base pay from $18 to $27.50 an hour.
Drivers at Compass Transportation, which operates shuttles for Apple,
eBay, Yahoo, Zynga, Genentech, Amtrak and others, voted for Teamsters
representation in February. Local 853 officials announced Oct. 3 that
contract negotiations with Compass had stalled and workers should
prepare for a strike or job actions. The main sticking points are around
paid vacations and health insurance.
The Facebook contract set a template for others. It included 11 paid
holidays, a guaranteed minimum of six hours per day, a 10 percent shift
differential and a differential for drivers working split shifts. It’s
common for bus drivers to work several hours in the morning, then wait
five or six hours without pay to drive a return trip.
Apple, which employs more than 150 drivers from several contractors,
announced in March it would raise drivers’ wages by an average of 25
percent, pay differentials for split shift drivers and provide drivers
access to break rooms.
Three days later Google announced similar steps for its more than 200
drivers who transport some 6,000 employees a day.
Then in late August 151 warehouse workers who process delivery orders
for Google Express in Palo Alto voted to be represented by Local 853.
The workers are employed by subcontractor Adecco Staffing on two-year
contracts and paid $13 to $17 an hour.
— Raul Gonzalez
Related articles:
‘Unless we fight, steel bosses do whatever they want’
Build Nov. 10 actions for $15 an hour and a union
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