成人X站

MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Uber, Lyft drivers clearly divided over unionization in Seattle

Dec 7, 2016, 10:06 AM

The City of Seattle will allow and drivers to unionize next year, but the drivers themselves still have to decide if that’s what they want.

And it was obvious at Tuesday night’s packed city hall hearing that they’re divided.

“The Union would have no place in Uber,” one driver said. “All they are going to is stifle us and make us follow rules that we did not sign up for.”

“I’m voting for the union,” another said. “I’m fighting for respect. I’m fighting for a living wage.”

Related: Mayor opposes ride-share union law

The biggest disagreement is over who actually gets the right to vote on forming a union.

The city’s rule would limit the voting to “qualified drivers” — defined as the most active drivers –with 52 rides over a three-month period. But less active drivers think they should have a vote as well.

Uber management has opposed the union idea and some Uber drivers agree.

“I’m a partner in Uber with this thing,” one driver said. “The qualified driver thing that you guys have come up with is basically voter rigging because you don’t want everybody to vote. [It’s] like the last election we had, the vote of everybody clearly did not count because we got Trump.”

In general, part-time drivers feel there are already enough rules. Full-time drivers, however, say their pay is shrinking and the company can change the rules at any time. They worry about being kicked off the app if they support the union.

A full-time driver named Akile , says people like him need a union.

“We have a lot of drivers who are hardly paying insurance right now,” he said.

But another driver disagreed, especially with claims by city council members that driver pay often falls below minimum wage.

“I’ve heard drivers complaining about not making enough money, to which I say, if you’re not averaging $20 an hour, you’re either not working hard enough or smart enough.”

Bruce Hablas, another anti-union driver, says changes to the rules through the ordinance could cause him to lose his right to operate his private business and that it “certainly seems illegal.”

But Don Creary, a three-year Uber veteran with more than 10,000 rides, called out part-time drivers for not having a real stake in collective bargaining discussions.

Seattle would be the first city to allow unionized ride-share drivers, and Eric Grant, who identified himself as a 55-year-old “independent rideshare business owner,” said city council members would feel the heat at the next election if they don’t let every driver vote.

“No official will be immune to the political and legal firestorm that is about to take place in response to this egregious attack on independent business owners,” he said. “Every business owner deserves a vote.”

Grant specifically called out council President Bruce Harrell and council member Mike O’Brien.

“You’re 117,000 salaries the citizens pay you will also be in jeopardy,” Grant said. “You have underestimated the determination and resolve of the entrepreneurs myself and fellow … business owners.”

Collective bargaining legislation is slated to take effect Jan. 17. If it passes, every ride share driver would be required to join the union to continue working.

MyNorthwest News

File photo (Courtesy Getty Images.)...

Tom Brock

Japanese airliner diverted to Sea-Tac after passenger tries to open exit doors

A flight from Tokyo to Houston made an emergency landing in Seattle Saturday after a passenger tried to open two of the plane鈥檚 exit doors.

35 minutes ago

The Coast Guard suspended a search for a 15-year-old boy caught in the powerful surf near Long Beac...

Tom Brock

Search suspended for teen caught in surf at Long Beach, WA

The Coast Guard suspended a search for a missing 15-year-old boy who struggled in the surf off Long Beach, Washington

6 hours ago

FBI...

Jason Sutich

Seattle sperm bank says it sold unused vials to FBI, but did that actually happen?

Seattle Sperm Bank's unused sperm vials sold to FBI for splat pattern research, raising questions about ethical practices.

9 hours ago

Cal Anderson Park protest...

Tom Brock

23 arrested during protest at Seattle’s Cal Anderson Park

Seattle police arrested several people at a protest that got out of hand on Capitol Hill Saturday.

1 day ago

Big Mama's 2025 calf breaches in the Salish Sea. Photo: Courtesy Katie Read, SpringTide Whale & Wil...

Tom Brock

Newborn humpback whale spotted in Salish Sea

A new addition to the Pacific Northwest鈥檚 humpback whale population arrived in the Salish Sea this week.

1 day ago

pickleball...

Scott Carty, 成人X站 Newsradio

The Taste Northwest launches first annual pickleball tournament

Next month, paddlers and pickleball enthusiasts in the Pacific Northwest have a chance to compete in a brand new competition: The Puyallup Paddle Battle.

1 day ago

Uber, Lyft drivers clearly divided over unionization in Seattle