Labor organizers working to create the country’s first app-based rideshare driver union here have just unlocked a trove of information to speed up their work.
The Department of Labor Relations determined in December that an aspiring union group — called the App Drivers Union (ADU) — met the threshold to be recognized as the bargaining representative of at least 5% of active rideshare drivers. The ADU is backed by 32BJ SEIU and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.
Under a voter law approved in 2024 (Chapter 252), bargaining units that reach that 5% threshold then qualify to access a list from the state of all active rideshare drivers and their contact information. The state securely shared that information with the ADU on Feb. 4, a DLR spokesperson told the News Service Monday.
“The Department of Labor Relations has worked diligently to implement all components of Chapter 150F, including the safe and secure collection of data through the initial ‘showing of interest’ phase, which led to the designation of the ADU as the exclusive bargaining representative for at least 5% of eligible drivers,” the spokesperson said, referring to the law that give Uber, Lyft and other rideshare drivers the right to organize.
“DLR will continue to work with all parties for required data submissions and any future petitions that may be filed,” the spokesperson continued.
Top labor organizers told the News Service on Friday and Monday that they were waiting for the state to hand over the list of active drivers. An SEIU spokesperson later Monday walked back those comments and confirmed the ADU had already received the list.
“Our driver organizing committee is proud to have reached this milestone and are excited for the next steps to getting recognized and getting to the bargaining table,” ADU Executive Director Autumn Weintraub said in a statement.
The unionization effort is unfolding as rideshare drivers face the increasing threat of autonomous vehicles that could put them out of work. Self-driving robotaxi company Waymo last week announced plans to return to Boston for testing and called on the Legislature to legalize fully autonomous vehicles.
“We learned a lot from last year’s visit, and we’re excited to continue effectively adapting to Boston’s cobblestones, narrow alleyways, roundabouts and turnpikes,” the company said. “We’re also validating our 6th-generation Waymo Driver across some of the snowiest cities in the country to support fully autonomous operations in a wide range of winter weather, so Massachusetts residents and visitors can have an even more dependable way to get around.”
There are more than 64,000 active rideshare drivers who have completed at least five rides originating in Massachusetts, according to the DLR spokesperson. The state requested and received that information from rideshare companies last fall, the spokesperson said.
Beyond Uber and Lyft, other “transportation network companies” in Massachusetts include UZURV, Via, Ride Circuit and SilverRide, the spokesperson said. But Ride Circuit does not qualify as a TNC under the voter law.
Organizers and volunteers supporting the ADU have already collected thousands of signed authorization cards, said Mike Vartabedian, assistant directing business representative for IAM District 15.
Without a clear directory of eligible individuals up until now, organizers have relied on grassroots, word-of-mouth strategies to scout out rideshare drivers to sign union authorization cards, Vartabedian said. The bulk of activity has centered around “big cities,” like Boston, Lawrence and Worcester, he said.
“We’ve literally just been showing up at common places like the airport lot, train stations, things like that, and we look for Uber signs in somebody’s window, or a Lyft sign in somebody’s window,” Vartabedian said. “That’s how we’ve been getting these thousands of cards. It’s been a lot of work, but not as much work as I thought because of the enthusiasm of drivers.”
With access to the state’s list of drivers, the ADU’s strategy will no longer involve guesswork around who’s an Uber or Lyft driver, Vartabedian said. Organizers can turn to phone-banking and emails to target specific drivers.
“We believe that the organizing drive is going to pick up a lot of speed then,” Vartabedian said.
By the end of the year “at the latest,” Vartabedian expects the rideshare drivers will secure their union.
“It’s moving along very well,” he said. “I would say we’re in a really good place. The drivers are, I would fully expect them to have the union that they need to negotiate and be actually certified as a union in the not-too-distant future. As long as things continue to go the way they’re going, they’ll have a union.”
An organization with at least 5% of support from active rideshare drivers can petition the DLR to hold an election, according to regulations tied to the voter law. But Vartabedian said the ADU is aiming to become certified as the exclusive bargaining representative without needing to go through an election process.
In one certification route, the ADU would need to amass support from at least 25% of active drivers. Uber has previously raised concerns about the thresholds required to form a union under the voter law.
“Unionization is a major shift, and we’re working to make sure that no driver is left out of the conversation,” an Uber spokesperson told the News Service Monday. “Our goal remains clear: protecting drivers’ right to work on their own terms.”
Uber said it is working with the state to make sure there’s a “robust process” with following the law, including ensuring there are “strong security measures” to protect driver data.
The DLR has invested in “technology enhancements” to handle the influx of private data tied to implementation of the voter law, the department spokesperson said. That includes ensuring that both rideshare companies and groups looking to unionize can securely submit information to the state, and that the state can safely store the data.
Lyft did not answer a News Service request for comment.
Uber and Lyft had not publicly opposed or campaigned against the unionization ballot question. They largely focused on keeping drivers classified as independent contractors, not employees, under state law.
Vartabedian acknowledged there’s been delays in the law’s rollout but said that’s “somewhat expected.”
“Obviously there’s always wrinkles to iron out, which we’re doing, because it’s the first-ever of its type, the law,” Vartabedian said. “But we want to get it right. Massachusetts wants to get it right, the administration wants to get it right, because we also know that we’re going to be the model that other states are going to look at that are trying to do this.”
Uber and Lyft drivers secured minimum hourly wage protections of $32.50 under a settlement Attorney General Andrea Campbell reached in June 2024. Drivers are seeking additional protections through a union, especially for handling app deactivations.
“What they’re really anxious about is getting a deactivation process, literally a fair process that you could even arbitrate if you needed to,” Vartabedian said, adding drivers want a “fair and objective look at why they were deactivated and see if we can get them reactivated.”
Alison Kuznitz is a reporter for State House News Service and State Affairs Pro Massachusetts. Reach her at akuznitz@stateaffairs.com.
