Rideshare drivers rally for better wages, benefits

NEW HAVEN — Drivers never come first.

That’s what area rideshare gig workers said needs to change, as they rallied around the city Wednesday calling for better wages and basic benefits such as paid sick leave, security measures and protection from damages.

“Connecticut drivers are suffering,” Carlos Gomez said in Spanish through a translator. “We all use Uber, and it’s very convenient for all of us, but the drivers are the ones that pay the consequences.”

As most rideshare drivers are considered independent contractors, they are not subjected to minimum wage law or any laws requiring benefits for full-time workers.

“We have no kind of benefit and the company takes away 70 percent of what y’all pay,” said Gomez, a co-founder of Connecticut Drivers United. “The drivers need a solid base so we can continue to do our work, this is no joke.”

Uber didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. According to the Uber website, the company also charges their drivers a 25 percent fee on all fares. In March, Uber also introduced a fuel surcharge of 35-55 cents to help drivers.

The rally focused on getting a “Driver Bill of Rights,” group lawyer James Bhanbary-Alexandra said, which includes minimum wage, overtime compensation, minimum per ride, and sexual harrassment and other discrimination protections.

“Unionization would be awesome but that is something that’s a long-term thing,” he said. “But right now, what these drivers are talking about is that they don’t even have the basics.”

Mourad Hassar, a co-founder of CDU, said he has been driving for more than seven years. He said drivers used to get $2 per mile, but now they receive around 65 cents.

Abdul Mobeen, another Uber driver, said a trip from New Haven to Bradley International Airport used to earn him around $80. Now, it’s only around $43, he said, not enough to make profit.

While the prices for the service have increased for customers, drivers said it didn’t translate into more pay for drivers.

“Uber takes from customers, but doesn’t pay for the drivers, it takes more money,” he said. “If you have accident, if you have something, there is no cover.”

Rideshare companies generally require drivers to have their own insurance.

Richie Barajas, who has been driving Uber full-time for nine months, said started this job after he lost another job but needed money to support his family. He came to the job without expecting how much he would make.

“The other day, I picked someone from West Haven to Kennedy Airport (in New York), which should take two hours but it took me five hours in traffic and I still get the same rate,” he said. “I lost all day for one trip, for one rate.”

Barajas said drivers also have to protect themselves when it comes to crashes or harassment from passengers. He hasn’t experienced it personally but another driver, Mounir Elhilali has.

Elhilali witnessed a fight breaking out on his backseat in the middle of a highway, he said.

“Everyday, different experiences, different people, sometimes they fight, they’re drunk,” Elhilali said, and said passengers have more power over drivers.

“When you complain of something, nothing changes,” Elhilali said. “When the passenger complains, they can stop your app immediately, and nobody hears from (your side).”

When it comes to reporting drivers’ safety and security concerns , Alex Johnson said rideshare companies don’t have an HR-like service for drivers.

She said while drivers can report violations to customer service, it isn’t without repercussions because customers have 30 days to add a tip, which she said is 80 percent of her income.

“Women rideshare drivers have a choice — report the customer or restaurant, or keep the tip and be able to pay our family,” Johnson said. “That shouldn’t have to be a choice.”

Johnson, who talked about women in the gig economy, called for background checks for passengers, noting that drivers are more scared of customers because they’re not required to go through training like the drivers are.

An HR-like service to report non-customer-related concerns also is needed, she said, referring to an incident she said she faced on St. Patrick’s Day when a random man grabbed her arm.

“I have no one to protect me but myself,” she said. “The safety precautions and buttons on the app are no good if I can’t free my hand from somebody, they don’t help at all.”

U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-3, said this is about respect for the people who work this job every day, highlighting that the last two years have been difficult for the gig economy workers because of rising inflation and gas prices.

“Sometimes, Washington just doesn’t get it,” DeLauro said. “Working people have not seen a real pay raise for years (while) companies reached huge profit. People need a break.”

CDU started organizing in 2018 when Uber reduced drivers’ pay per mile from 89 cents to 65 cents, and has gained hundreds of supporters from all across the state.

The group has been advocating for drivers’ rights, including opposing a state bill that would encourage driver unions because of what’s left out in the bill, which was their classification as full-time employees that could lead to basic benefits and protections.

At the federal level, Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2021 was passed in the House of Representatives but blocked by the Senate. The bill, which gig companies publicly opposed, would classify rideshare workers as employees and promote unionization.

Abdul Osmanu, a Hamden Legislative Council member who spoke at the rally, said “the labor movement is officially back,” noting the increasing of multiracial, worker-led movements, union movements and record-level legislation being introduced.

“I hope that you’re enjoying today and taking in the true beauty of what happens when we unite and stand in solidarity with drivers and workers that are an integral part of our society,” Osmanu said. “Before you leave today, I ask you to thank any of the drivers … let them know that you have their back.”