NEW YORK — Gathered in the LaGuardia Airport parking lot on Sunday, rideshare drivers began a week-long countdown to a strike.
Next Sunday (February 26), the New York Taxi Workers Alliance announced that Uber and Lyft drivers will not be picking up passengers at the airport between noon and midnight.
The planned walkout continues a push by New York-area drivers demanding higher wages and greater job security from companies like Uber and Lyft.
The February 26 strike is the third since Uber blocked a raise that was due to take effect in December before a judge temporarily ruled in favor of the company suing the Taxi and Limousine Commission.
“Uber and Lyft have believed that drivers can never organize, drivers can never come together and stand up for what belongs to drivers, but this is a new day,” chief executive Bhairavi Desai said Sunday at the the group meeting.
Organizers say Uber continues to block pay rises while making “record profits”.
In a statement, Uber said drivers have received three fare increases since 2020.
“It’s the only industry in the state with a required annual raise tied to the rate of inflation, while minimum wage workers haven’t had a raise since 2018,” a spokesperson said.