Uber drivers are planning to shut their apps for 12 hours on 8th May 2019 in six US cities. This shut is owing to the protest against low wages as well as working conditions, just two days ahead of the company’s estimated market debut.
Six cities in which this plan will execute are Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington DC, and Philadelphia. A spokeswoman for Gig Workers Rising, which is a campaign for gig workers, told media that protest would be carried outside the Uber’s head office in San Francisco. Clarkson said on Monday that Driver, hundreds in number will join this planned protest along with San Francisco and Los Angeles which will expect to observe a higher concentration of people.
The demand of drivers also includes employee benefit plans counting holiday pay, health care as well as representation in Uber’s management structure. People who were familiar with this matter were saying Uber will expect to price its IPO on the same day, i.e. on 9th May and will start trading on the New York Stock Exchange the following day.
Clarkson alleged that ‘Uber’s IPO will put millions and millions in pockets of executives; on the other hand, drivers who offer services that is the base of the company will get nothing.’
Uber also declared plans to provide cash bonuses to several of its most active drivers to improve relations with them. They offered these cash bonuses with the option to purchase shares in the company’s market debut.
The main objective behind this protest planning by Uber drivers in all six cities is to force the company to pay those more and also to offer them benefits. As per the study, Uber, as well as Lyft drivers in the US, get merely 8.50 dollars per hour for their trips which is the minimum wage in several states. Also the drivers those who like their Uber gig confess that increasing gas prices which are up almost a quarter a gallon in the Philly area over the precedent month and have gripped their pocketbooks.
