Photos: Uber, Lyft drivers strike in US, UK on Valentine's Day
Amanda Lee Myers and James Powel, USA TODAY
·1-min read
Rideshare drivers rally at a staging area near O'Hare International Airport during a work strike on Wednesday in Chicago. The demonstration staged by Uber, Lyft and DoorDash drivers was one of ten staged simultaneously outside of airports in 10 cities across the country calling for better pay and safer working conditions.
Drivers for Uber, Lyft and DoorDash went on strike across the U.S. and in London on Wednesday, refusing rides on Valentine's Day and demanding better pay and treatment.
From Chicago and New York and Miami to Austin, Texas, a coalition of drivers organized under Justice for App Workers rallied at airports in 10 cities across the U.S. Similar protests were held in Los Angeles, and delivery drivers in the United Kingdom also went on strike.
“We need changes,” Francisco Magdaleno, a 55-year-old Uber driver in Los Angeles, told USA TODAY during a protest in Los Angeles. “It’s not fair that investors should be getting paid before drivers. We are barely surviving."
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He was among about 50 people who shut down a local street in the LA neighborhood of Historic Filipinotown for a couple of hours. They chanted things like "Si se puede" and carried signs that read: "No deactivation without representation."
“We demand them to pay us more,” Magdaleno said, adding that on a $50 Uber fare, for instance, he only makes $25.
Uber said in a statement: "We ... continue to act on driver feedback, adding new safety features to the app and improving our account deactivation processes."
Lyft said in a statement that the company is "constantly working to improve the driver experience, which is why just this month we released a series of new offers and commitments aimed at increasing driver pay and transparency."
Here are photos from the protests in the U.S. and the U.K.
Uber and Lyft strike in Los Angeles
Francisco Magdaleno, 55, of Los Angeles, was among about 50 Uber and Lyft drivers protesting the rideshare apps in Los Angeles on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, 2024. He says "We are barely surviving" and that "We need changes."
Drivers protest Uber, Lyft and DoorDash outside an Uber office in Los Angeles on Feb. 14, 2024. They were yelling in a bullhorn, blasting an air horn and chanting "Si, se puede" and "Drivers united will never be defeated." Passing cars were honking their horns in support.
Drivers protest Uber, Lyft and DoorDash outside an Uber office in Los Angeles on Feb. 14, 2024. They were yelling in a bullhorn, blasting an air horn and chanting "Si, se puede" and "Drivers united will never be defeated."
Uber and Lyft strike in Austin
Uber and Lyft drivers rally for better pay and working conditions at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Wednesday February 14, 2024. Some drivers, led by Justice For App Workers, participated in a one-day strike in Austin and nine other U.S. cities.
Uber and Lyft driver Arturo Melgar joins other rideshare drivers in a rally for better pay and working conditions at the rideshare staging area at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Wednesday February 14, 2024. Some drivers, led by Justice For App Workers, participated in a one-day strike in Austin and nine other U.S. cities.
Uber and Lyft driver Jorge Castallanos joins other rideshare drivers in a rally for better pay and working conditions at the rideshare staging area at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Wednesday February 14, 2024. Some drivers, led by Justice For App Workers, participated in a one-day strike in Austin and nine other U.S. cities.
Uber and Lyft strike in Chicago
Rideshare drivers rally at a staging area near O'Hare International Airport during a work strike on Wednesday in Chicago. The demonstration staged by Uber, Lyft and DoorDash drivers was one of ten staged simultaneously outside of airports in 10 cities across the country calling for better pay and safer working conditions.
Blossom Boston joins other ride-hailing and delivery workers in protest of Uber, Lyft and other companies in the Transportation Network Provider parking lot at O'Hare International Airport, Wednesday, in Chicago.
People wait in the rideshare pickup area at O'Hare International Airport, Wednesday in Chicago. Thousands of ride-hailing and delivery workers in the U.S. and the U.K. went on strike on Valentine's Day, calling for higher pay and other changes to their working conditions.
Delivery driver strike in the United Kingdom
Takeaway delivery drivers gather at Notting Hill Gate in west London on Wednesday, during a strike to demand better pay and conditions. Britain's couples could struggle for last minute Valentine's Day meals after disheartened workers for food apps including Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat walked out between 1700 GMT and 2200 GMT, according to organizers
A Deliveroo driver addresses fellow takeaway delivery drivers at Notting Hill Gate in west London on Wednesday, during a strike to demand better pay and conditions.
Takeaway delivery drivers gather at Notting Hill Gate in west London on Wednesday, during a strike to demand better pay and conditions.
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