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Nearly 70,000 Massachusetts rideshare drivers become largest private workforce to win union recognition since Ford autoworkers in 1941
Historic progress for in Massachusetts inspires similar fights for union rights in California, Minnesota, Illinois
BOSTON — In a watershed moment for the nation’s labor movement, rideshare drivers in Massachusetts with the App Drivers Union (ADU) have become the first statewide rideshare union in the country to win official recognition, creating a path toward negotiating better pay, job protections on behalf of nearly 70,000 rideshare drivers across the Commonwealth.
At a rally Tuesday, rideshare drivers, alongside allies like Governor Maura Healey, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President April Verrett and IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) International President Brian Bryant, marked the historic turning point for the modern-day labor movement and major step forward in the fight to hold Big Tech companies accountable.
Rideshare drivers in Massachusetts are the largest private workforce to win union recognition since UAW autoworkers at Ford in 1941. With as many as 70,000 rideshare drivers in Massachusetts, recognition of their union is a historic win for working people that gives momentum to the nationwide push among rideshare drivers for union rights.
“I never dreamed that this day would happen. I once thought it was impossible that we would have a seat at the table with these two big corporations in front of us,” said Victoria Acosta, a member leader of the App Drivers Union. “But nothing is impossible when you are united. For me, it is a dream come true, seeing the hard work of all my colleagues collecting cards, talking to the drivers, and making sure we can achieve what we dream. It was worth it because now we have our union.”
Following union recognition, drivers with the ADU will begin contract negotiations with the rideshare companies where they will seek to raise standards around pay, safety and deactivations. In doing so, rideshare drivers will pave a path for millions of drivers across the country to join together, organize a union and win important protections on the job.
Rideshare drivers in the Commonwealth first made history in November 2024 when they won union rights through the passage of Question 3. In the months since, rideshare drivers have organized by the thousands through conversations in airport parking lots, car washes, stadiums,churches, community centers and more.
A Critical Organizing Breakthrough in the Gig Economy
A defining feature of the Massachusetts law is its mandate that rideshare companies come to the table and bargain in good faith. Unlike organizing under the NLRA, the voter-approved law includes interest arbitration. If the ADU and the companies do not reach an agreement within six months, the dispute goes to an independent arbitrator to help set the terms of a collective bargaining agreement. This avoids the often protracted fights and barriers workers have to overcome to reach a first contract.
Union recognition for Massachusetts rideshare drivers marks the most significant step forward for worker organizing in the gig economy. Securing the first collective bargaining agreement in the rideshare industry gives rideshare drivers real power to tackle unpredictable pay, unfair deactivations and other issues.
“Massachusetts has always been at the forefront of the labor movement — from the mills of Lowell to the innovation economy of today. This is a historic moment for workers, for fairness and for the future of our economy,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Rideshare drivers are crucial members of our workforce and our communities, and they deserve a real voice in shaping their wages, benefits and working conditions.”
“For too long, the gig economy was built on a fools’ bargain: the companies got rich and workers scraped by. The rules were rigged,” said April Verrett, President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). “But Massachusetts rideshare drivers flipped the script. They had the audacity and imagination to unrig those rules and win their union. In a moment when working people need hope, these drivers are a shining light. They are steering the future of the labor movement and taking their destiny into their hands.”
“Massachusetts rideshare drivers just made labor history. Nearly 70,000 app-based drivers have officially won union recognition through the App Drivers Union — the first union recognition for app-based workers anywhere in the United States and the largest private-sector organizing victory in generations,” said Brian Bryant, IAM Union International President. “What started with the IAM Union organizing black car drivers in the 1990s has grown into a groundbreaking partnership with SEIU 32BJ that is now reshaping the future of work in America. This victory proves that no matter how powerful Big Tech becomes, workers still have the power to organize, demand fairness and win a real voice on the job.”
“This victory belongs to the drivers who spent years organizing in airport parking lots, community centers, places of worship and neighborhoods across Massachusetts to build power from the ground up,” said Mike Vartabedian, App Drivers Union Principal Officer and IAM District 15 Assistant Directing Business Representative. “Drivers are standing together for better pay, protection from unfair deactivations, transparency around algorithms, safer working conditions and dignity on the job. For too long, rideshare corporations made billions while drivers had little voice over the conditions they face every day. What’s happening in Massachusetts is a model for app-based workers everywhere who are ready to organize, demand respect and win a seat at the table.”
“Two years ago, we began this fight by speaking to our members and their relatives who were driving for rideshare companies. App drivers wanted a voice on the job and a path to a better future,” said Manny Pastreich, President 32BJ SEIU. “After tens of thousands of union cards, dozens of actions, one statewide ballot initiative, along with the dedication of a core group of activists, we are proud to play a part in winning the first union for app drivers. This win, like so many recent achievements in the labor movement, required rewriting the rules of organizing. Today, we celebrate a huge win for gig workers and take the next step in the fight for a better tomorrow.”
“This is one of the biggest organizing victories for labor unions in the last century. Big Tech spent years taking from drivers and writing the rules. Today, 70,000 Massachusetts rideshare drivers won because they wrote our own rules and won the union. Now, for the first time, the app companies have to listen to the workers who make them their money,” said Autumn Weintraub, executive director of the App Drivers Union. “This is not just a victory for rideshare drivers, but a warning shot to every Big Tech billionaire: working people are united and are willing to fight for more.”
“For more than a decade, these drivers have been the engine of a multi-billion dollar industry with no clear path to organize, no seat at the table, no share of the prosperity they built. Now, they’re claiming their power in it,” said Representative Ayanna Pressley. “Throughout this fight, I’ve been honored to meet rideshare drivers from across the Commonwealth, hear their struggles and share in their dreams. This victory is theirs and it is a testament to what working people can win when they stand up and refuse to be left behind.”
“The most powerful antidote to corporate greed is worker power,” said Senator Ed Markey. “CEOs don’t drive our economy, workers do. As the App Drivers Union enters this next phase, they are taking on some of the most influential tech companies of our time, including Uber and Lyft. By building power and standing together, tens of thousands of members strong, Massachusetts rideshare drivers have the power to secure dignity, fair wages and critical job protections throughout their industry. This is exactly what we need to reshape the economy so that it works for the people who fuel it, not just those at the top.”
“Today, we welcome, with open arms, 70,000 Massachusetts rideshare drivers who know a better future is possible when working people build power through unions,” said Liz Shuler, President of the AFL–CIO. “The App Drivers Union’s victory is a reminder that the billion-dollar rideshare industry is fueled by worker power, not corporate greed. These drivers prove what we’ve always known: when working people unite, we win.”
Blazing a Trail to Union Recognition
In November 2024, voters in Massachusetts approved Question 3, a historic ballot initiative that gives drivers for rideshare companies the right to form a union and negotiate industry-wide standards to improve pay, benefits and working conditions. With the passage of Question 3, drivers won a definitive path toward building an organization of their own to provide a voice in an industry dominated by powerful corporations.
“Today marks a historic milestone for rideshare drivers—particularly the tens of thousands of drivers who spoke out for fair pay, dignity, and a voice in this new industry,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka. “Massachusetts is once again leading the way when it comes to strengthening worker protections and creating an equitable future as the gig economy evolves. I’m proud of the determination and collective action of everyone who made this possible, and I look forward to the example the App Drivers Union sets for everyone.”
Throughout their campaign to win the passage of Question 3, drivers across Massachusetts spoke out about the need to increase pay and improve working conditions. The drivers are not compensated for their vehicles, expenses that come out of their pockets for gas, insurance and maintenance, or for time spent awaiting or returning from rides. When those costs and limitations are accounted for, most drivers make less than the Massachusetts minimum wage of $15 an hour.
“When rideshare drivers began their fight for union rights, their demands were clear: respect, a voice on the job, and the power to take control over the future of their industry,” said Representative Frank A. Moran, Second Assistant Majority Leader of the House. “In less than two years since the passage of Question 3, rideshare drivers building the App Drivers Union achieved the extraordinary and have become the first-ever union of Uber and Lyft drivers in the United States. This victory is the result of rideshare drivers thinking big, being bold and never backing down. I am proud to have walked alongside these drivers every step of the way.”
The ADU’s momentum in Massachusetts has already inspired similar movements in other states, representing what Center for American Progress (CAP) scholar David Madland calls “critical experiments for how to rapidly improve jobs in today’s economy.”
“Rideshare drivers across Massachusetts are making history today,” said Senator Jason Lewis. “In the face of an industry that tried to cut them out and silence them, they’ve taken power back into their hands and, in the process, are inspiring drivers across the country to follow suit. Massachusetts has given workers across the gig economy a roadmap for how to fight exploitation, force accountability and win real power for workers.”
“The Chinese Progressive Association (CPA) is proud to have worked side by side with the App Drivers Union to pass Question 3 on the November 2024 ballot,” said Irene Jor, Executive Director of CPA. “Since then we have swung into action to organize and collect union authorization signatures. Organizing a workforce that doesn’t congregate in a single location is no easy task, drivers have rallied, organized their fellow drivers, and knocked on countless doors, and come together across communities to lay out their vision for a gig economy that respects and protects workers. Onward to a good contract!”
Earlier this month, rideshare drivers in California came one step closer to establishing a union. Their union, the California Gig Workers Union, had received support from over 10 percent of active drivers in the state, crossing an important threshold and kickstarting a process similar to Massachusetts.
Now, drivers in Massachusetts, California, Illinois, Minnesota and beyond are seizing their opportunity to build a more equitable rideshare industry where they have the ability to negotiate stronger standards around pay, safety and benefits. Their fight is a step towards a brighter future where all working people have dignity and the power to organize a union.
About the App Drivers Union
The ADU is an affiliate of 32BJ SEIU and the IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers). Until the passage of Question 3 in Massachusetts, there had been no state or federal process for rideshare drivers to organize a union or bargain collectively. With Question 3, drivers won in Massachusetts the same right millions of other workers across the country enjoy – the option to join together in a union and negotiate with their employers. Their union recognition victory blazes a new trail for drivers across the country seeking to build a better, more equitable industry.
