Uber and Lyft drivers strike outside LaGuardia for higher wages
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Striking drivers and supporters gathered at LaGuardia Airport on Sunday where no pickups or drop offs were made from noon to midnight. Photo from Councilmember Shekar Krishnan/Twitter
By Ryan Schwach
A large cohort of Uber and Lyft drivers held a strike outside LaGuardia Airport on Sunday where no pickups were made as the drivers protested for higher wages amid inflation.
“Today we’re showing Uber and Lyft that if they won’t respect drivers, they can’t profit from our labor,” wrote the drivers in a statement shared by the New York Taxi Workers Alliance. “Without drivers, there is no Uber or Lyft.”
From 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Sunday, the drivers protested and picketed outside at the smaller of Queens’ two airports, generally some of the city’s major hubs for pickups and drop offs.
The driver’s, who marched and protested at LGA, were joined and supported by Queens’ electeds.
“Many of you today are my neighbors, and that's because so many drivers live in our community,” said State Senator Jessica Ramos, who represents that area and also serves as the Senate’s Labor Committee chair.
“You're all parents, family members who are seeking to provide for yourselves and for your families, and somehow, Uber refuses to see this and wants to keep all of the profit for themselves, even though they have such little overhead even though they're just a plain old algorithm, trying to run a high tech sweatshop in our neighborhood,” she added.
On top of the stagnant wages, drivers said that the rideshare companies have shifted many of the financial burdens of operating a taxi onto the drivers themselves.
“It's not okay for you to have to pay for your car, for your car insurance, for tickets, for all your healthcare, for you to figure out your own retirement plan,” Ramos said.
City Councilmember Shekar Krishnan was also present to support the strike.
“You all are some of our most essential workers across this city. You have carried this city forward before the pandemic, during the pandemic and long afterwards,” he said. “Our city owes you an enormous debt of gratitude.”
In January, a Manhattan judge held up a lawsuit from Uber against the Taxi and Limousine Commission which rejected pay raises to ride share drivers, which led to a different strike in December.
Krishnan specifically called out that lawsuit, calling it “insulting” and said that he would get the City Council to pass legislation in support of rideshare drivers.
“You all give us the inspiration to keep going and together we will make sure that you all get the raise that you are entitled to,” he said. “That is the very least our city can do for you.”
Uber, in a statement to Gothamist prior to Sunday’s strike, rejected the driver’s assertions that they did not get a raise.
“On Feb. 1, drivers got their third mandated raise since 2020 and now make $31.66/hour,” said Freddi Goldstein, a spokesperson for Uber. “This is the only industry in the state with a yearly required increase tied to the rate of inflation, while minimum-wage workers have not had one raise since 2018.”
Lyft told the Eagle that they did not see any significant impact to wait times or service at LGA on Sunday.
"The TLC's proposal includes changes that will ensure fairer competition within our industry,” said Lyft spokesperson CJ Macklin in a statement. “We are appreciative of them listening to our concerns and look forward to continued engagement on ways we can improve rideshare overall."
