Uber drivers in New York City launched a second 24-hour strike in less than a month
New York City Uber drivers went on strike again Thursday for 24 hours in protest of the company's refusal to comply with a wage increase mandated by the Taxi & Limousine Commission.
"I’m shocked and speechless thinking of how Uber stopped our raise after all the hearings and all the protests we did," Uber driver and NYTWA member Nusrat Jahan said in a statement ahead of Thursday's planned strike, NBC New York reported. "This raise was like a small light of happiness for our families and for us, which Uber didn’t let happen. I’m ashamed that Uber blocked this happiness before the holidays. Now I’m working for Uber raising all this money for them so that they can hire a private jet or go to a private island or go to Dubai to celebrate their happiness with their families. We could have been earning $1000 extra a month to pay our bills, not for luxuries," Jahan added. Let us all meet on the 5th of January to show Uber what we can do."
The New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA), the union that represents the city's roughly 21,000 app-dispatched drivers in addition to those who operate green, black, and livery cars, has asked riders to support their fight for recovered raises by shunning the Uber service until midnight.
“Drivers do critical work and deserve to be paid fairly, but rates should be calculated in a way that is transparent, consistent and predictable. Existing TLC rules continue to provide for an annual review tied to the rate of inflation; that’s one reason why driver pay has gone up 38.4% since 2019," Josh Gold, Uber spokesperson, said.
NYTWA claims that by the first day of the year, app drivers had missed approximately $12 million in raises due to the judge's temporary restraining order, which affected companies like Uber.
The previous 24-hour walkout at Uber came on Dec. 19, when the rises were set to go into effect.
The union requested that the judge consider the drivers' desire to have their pay increase reinstated. According to NYTWA, the court is currently evaluating the paperwork in preparation for its next hearing.