Uber, Lyft strike at 10 airports, including Newark
Uber and Lyft drivers staged a strike Wednesday targeting 10 airports, including Newark Airport, but the limited stoppage did not appear to have any effect on holiday rideshare service at the New Jersey transit hub.
The Valentine’s Day demonstration was aimed at drawing attention to low wages and dampening ride-hail app service at airports in cities including Austin, Texas; Providence, R.I.; Chicago; Hartford; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Orlando; Miami, and Tampa, according to the Justice for App Workers coalition.
The strike did not touch New York City, where Uber and Lyft drivers are scheduled to receive a city-mandated 3.5% wage hike on March 1. Although the city regulates the ride-hail app business, the industry is largely unregulated elsewhere.
Protesters at the frigid, windy Newark Airport held signs that said: “HIGHER WAGES FOR LYFT & UBER DRIVERS NOW!” It was the first ride-hail app strike in New Jersey since Uber launched in the state more than a decade ago, according to the Justice for App Workers coalition.
Newark Airport, which is 8 miles from lower Manhattan, is one of the nation’s busiest airports and the second-busiest in the New York City area. The Newark hub served 35 million domestic travelers in 2023, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the airport.
The Port Authority said no impact to its ride pickup service was reported Wednesday during the stoppage.
“Additional staff was in place directing passengers to alternative transportation options if necessary, and we worked closely with local taxi associations to ensure that there is an adequate supply of cabs,” Cheryl Albiez, a Port Authority spokeswoman, said in a statement.
Uber and Lyft both said they had no seen no evidence of disruptions.
Josh Gold, an Uber spokesman, said in a statement that “Valentine’s Day this year was met with lots of love from drivers across New York with both more trips and more online drivers than the last four-week average.”
A spokesman for Lyft, CJ Macklin, said worker strikes have not typically had any impact on the app’s service or wait times. He added that Lyft offered new pledges this month to improve driver pay.
Lyft has promised to ensure drivers receive at least 70% of their weekly fares after external fees, Macklin said.
“We are constantly working to improve the driver experience,” Macklin said in a statement. “It’s all part of our new customer-obsessed focus on drivers.”
There were no signs that the stoppage had any significant impact on delivery app services, either.
Gustavo Ajche, an app delivery driver and co-founder of Los Deliveristas Unidos, said he and other delivery workers were working Wednesday, and that there were no major work stoppages planned for the day.
“I’ve heard this from TikTokers and people like that, but it’s nothing strong so far,” Ajche said.
Last year, New York City delivery workers won the nation’s first minimum wage for food app workers — a major victory after years of advocacy and pushback.
That pay floor was instituted after the city’s minimum wage for Uber and Lyft drivers was launched under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration.