Drivers for Uber and Lyft in Massachusetts celebrated Tuesday as state officials certified the App Drivers Union as the first statewide ride-hailing union in the United States, a milestone in the long-running effort to organize gig-economy workers who are classified as independent contractors under federal labor law. The certification, which labor leaders described as the largest private-sector organizing win since Ford Motor Co. autoworkers unionized in 1941, became possible after Massachusetts voters approved a 2024 ballot measure that created a first-in-the-nation framework allowing drivers to bargain collectively while remaining independent contractors. The union is set to ultimately represent nearly 70,000 drivers across the state, organizers said.
“Without the support of the drivers, we wouldn’t be here,” Victoria Acosta, a mother who drives for both Uber and Lyft, said in Spanish through a translator. She said she hopes the victory inspires drivers in other states.
Jean Fredo, who has driven for Uber for more than seven years, said he hopes the union will bring better pay, stronger protections against sudden deactivations, and more stability for drivers. “With the union, it will not feel like we’re working for nothing,” he said in French through a translator. “Now the money will not only stay in the billionaire’s pockets. The money will actually come to the workers who work very hard.”
Fredo said when he began driving for Uber he appreciated the flexibility and the ability to make his own schedule while still being present for his family. But over time, he said, he found himself working longer hours while earning less as gas and maintenance costs climbed. Drivers can also lose access to the apps with little warning, he said. “I live with stress — always scared to lose my app. This is not a way to live,” said Fredo, who helped sign up hundreds of other drivers at airports and gathering spots around the Boston area. He held up a photo of his four children and said he is fighting for a better life for them.
Uber said it would work with the union and regulators while preserving “driver flexibility and hard-won benefits,” and Lyft said it was committed to “engaging in good faith” and “helping drivers succeed while keeping rideshare affordable and dependable for everyone who counts on it.”
The organizing effort has also unfolded alongside the rapid expansion of autonomous vehicle technology. Waymo has expanded driverless taxi operations in cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, heightening anxiety among ride-hailing drivers about the future of their jobs. Massachusetts currently requires a licensed human operator inside autonomous vehicles tested on public roads.
Autumn Weintraub, executive director of the App Drivers Union, said drivers across the country regularly communicate with one another about changing conditions in the industry, including the expansion of autonomous vehicles. “Drivers now have an official organization and can speak with one voice about what’s happening in this industry,” Weintraub said. “We cannot let billions of dollars leave Massachusetts and go to Silicon Valley. That money feeds people’s families, that money pays the rent.”
Some business groups and legal scholars have argued that the 2024 ballot measure’s framework could face antitrust challenges under federal law, since it allows independent contractors to bargain collectively. Massachusetts regulators are also considering new ride-hailing rules involving safety standards and driver oversight. Days before the union certification, Uber warned in a blog post that some of the proposals could raise costs and reduce flexibility for drivers, while supporters said the changes are intended to strengthen safety and accountability.
The certification arrives in a U.S. labor market where the unemployment rate stood at 4.3% and the broader U-6 measure of underemployment — which includes discouraged workers and those working part-time involuntarily — registered at 8.2% as of the article’s vintage, according to federal data. Supporters of the ride-hailing union said the victory could provide a template for ongoing organizing drives in California, Illinois, and other states with large populations of app-based workers.