Behind the ride-hail drivers strike

Just as Uber and Lyft executives are pushing back against unfavorable regulations in New York – a minimum pay standard and a new vehicle cap, for example – the drivers that keep those businesses moving are gearing up for a separate fight. On Wednesday, drivers for app-based ride-hail companies like Uber and Lyft will participate in a morning strike in cities including New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

But even in New York, where lawmakers recently enacted a slate of new regulations for ride-hail companies, drivers still say their wages are not enough. “The minimum wage is just a minimum wage – it’s still not a livable wage,” Bhairavi Desai, president of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, told the New York Daily News. “We believe drivers should be entitled at minimum to 80% to 85% of their fares.”

The strike – planned for 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Wednesday – couldn’t come at a worse time for Uber and Lyft, which both filed for initial public offerings this year. Uber, set to begin trading this Friday, is aiming for a valuation as high as $91 billion, placing the ride-hail service in exclusive company. “With the IPO, Uber’s corporate owners are set to make billions, all while drivers are left in poverty and go bankrupt,” Desai said.

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