Gov. Maura Healey joined labor leaders outside of the State House on Tuesday to celebrate the establishment of the first rideshare drivers’ union in the United States.
The newly formed App Drivers Union comes after a state certification on Friday that allows the union to collectively bargain. The union represents roughly 70,000 drivers, mostly with Uber and Lyft.
“For years, the driver had no voice. We were treated like we were invisible. We were part of a broken system. A system that expected us to work long hours, earn less and eventually be replaced,” said App Drivers Union member Prisell Polanco. “But today, that changed. Now we have our union. Now we have power. Now we have a seat at the table.”
The App Drivers Union secured a backing from 32% of active rideshare drivers, surpassing the 25% threshold required by state law for certification, according to the Massachusetts’ Department of Labor Relations. The organizing drive started in January 2025, three months after a ballot measure (Question 3) that allowed for unionizing of transportation network drivers.
“They certified us to be the bargaining agent and to sit down and negotiate with Uber and Lyft on behalf of the drivers for a better portion of the fare and other things that we’re going to survey the drivers and see which things are most important to them,” said Mike Vartabedian, an officer for the App Drivers Union.
Vartabedian said that it’s common for drivers to only receive 20% to 30% of the total fare, much less than they got years earlier when Uber and Lyft first came to the state. He hopes that will change now that the union can collectively bargain..
The base pay for rideshare drivers is more than $34 an hour under a law that went into effect in 2024.
“Gas prices are skyrocketing. The cost of living is skyrocketing. We’re getting paid less and less every day,” said Polanco. “All of that is going to change. We have our union, and we’ve got a chance to fight and we’re going to fight hard.”
The drivers also want a set process to follow when the companies decide to deactivate, or disconnect, a driver.
“They get disconnected because somebody maybe put in a complaint about them or said that they were rude to them or something to get them deactivated. There’s no process. There is no due process,” said Vartabedian.
The union is the largest group of private-sector workers to have their union recognized since Ford workers joined United Auto Workers in 1941.
“A workforce this large has not won union recognition in this country in 84 years, and it happened right here in Massachusetts,” said April Verrett, international president of the Service Employees International Union. “It happened because workers willed it into being. It happened because workers exercised their power.”
Verrett said for years, rideshare drivers have not been recognized as employees.
“The dignity full-time work can actually pay the rent and put groceries on the table. Workers deserve money ... Money that allows families to live, not just barely survive while corporations stack record profits,” she said. “Workers deserve respect. The respect of being treated like a human being, not an algorithm. Not a data point. Not a disposable line of code.”
Gov. Maura Healey said the newly formed union changes the game for rideshare workers across the country.
“You drivers made history, what you did is not unbelievable. It’s believable, and it shows what’s possible when people actually come together, work together, and get it done,” said Healey. “It’s also an important message to the rest of the country.”
Both Uber and Lyft said they will negotiate in good faith.
“As this new process moves forward, we’re committed to engaging in good faith,” said CJ Macklin, director of communications for Lyft. He said the company will stay focused on “helping drivers succeed while keeping rideshare affordable and dependable for everyone who counts on it.”
An Uber spokesperson said the company’s 2024 agreement with the Massachusetts attorney general “demonstrated what we can achieve when we listen to drivers, who overwhelmingly supported that milestone.”
Katie Franger, public affairs manager for Uber, said the company will work closely with the App Drivers Union, drivers, and the Department of Labor Relations.
“Together, we will ensure that driver flexibility and hard-won benefits remain the foundation of our progress, while upholding the highest standards of safety, data security, transparency, and public accountability,” she said.
