Uber drivers protest against low wages for the multi-billion dollar IPO

Uber drivers from around the world took to the streets on Wednesday to protest their pay. From Sydney to London via New York to San Francisco, drivers say that they work longer and longer for less and less pay and that it becomes impossible to make a living. In addition to the demonstrations, motorists in several cities stop their applications for 12 hours, which is a form of strike against the surveillance company.

Strike and the protests come two days before the date on which Uber should debut on the stock market with a initial public offering expected to generate about $ 9 billion and would value Uber at about $ 91.5 billion. This means that hundreds of Uber employees will probably become millionaires day by day and the disparity of wealth between company employees and drivers will increase.

"When I started, it was part-time, but now everyone is on time to pay our bills," said San Francisco pilot Mostafa Makled and one of the organizers of the event in the San Francisco Bay Area. "Every year, they change their rates policies."

Uber has changed driver rates over the last two years, according to Harry Campbell, a Los Angeles driver who runs a popular blog called The Rideshare Guy. The company often makes these changes without notifying or explaining the drivers.

This is not the first time drivers protest against Uber. Over the years, they are increasingly dissatisfied with their lower and higher wages, longer working hours, and even non-existent support. They organized demonstrations, filed lawsuits, stopped driving for the company or went to rival Lyft.

For its part, Uber has launched new initiatives to improve things for drivers, such as the switchover in the application, a feature that pays them more than they have to wait for customers and 24-hour phone support / 24 and 7 / 7. The very existence of Uber depends on the retention of drivers, because without them, he has no customers.

Yet, motorists say that these initiatives are not enough.

About 100 drivers gathered in San Francisco in front of the company's headquarters. The atmosphere was more festive than tense as a fanfare played and the protesters chanted, "What do we want? Pay away. When do we want it?"

Some people wrote signs saying "Uber CEO: $ 43 million / year, Uber driver: $ 9 / hour" and "Uber, you drive us to poverty".

One of the protesters was Shannon Liss-Riordan, the lawyer who brought several lawsuits against Uber on behalf of drivers. These lawsuits relate to the classification of drivers by Uber as independent contractors rather than employees. Drivers must pay for their own health insurance and not receive benefits such as sick leave or vacation; they must also pay for their own car maintenance, gas and other associated driving expenses.

Liss-Riordan said that much of Uber's success is built on the back of the pilots and that the company transfers a large part of its operating costs to the workers, who are not classified as employees. She said she was happy to see the pilots come together for Wednesday's protest.

"It's when people get together that they make a difference," said Liss-Riordan.

Gary Branson has been an Uber pilot in the San Francisco Bay area for about two years. He stated that he had made about 5,000 trips with Uber, but that he could barely make a living.

"I live an extremely minimalist lifestyle and I see what I can do to overcome this situation," said Branson. "Uber could charge more for their journeys and pay their drivers enough to pay their rent."

Makled and the group he works with, called Gig Workers Rising, said that he had communicated with Uber headquarters several times about driving conditions, but that he did not say anything about it. had no answer. So he took his fight in the Californian capital and met Governor Gavin Newsom and a handful of senators. He hopes to pass laws that will better protect drivers.

"[Uber is] put pressure on everyone to drive 70 to 80 hours a week, "he said. And that must stop. "

Uber did not return the request for comment.