We work to bring working drivers together to build power. One of our early wins was forcing Uber to give workers a direct line to Uber management to discuss the collective issues that are important to IDG members like you. We call the group of workers that meet with Uber the “Works Council.”
Tipping: Add the tipping option to the app before the TLC mandates it. Put an added feature after the ride to give, 20%, 25%, 30% or other—and riders should be able to choose a flat tip (like 25%) across all rides so they don’t have to choose.
Mile/Minute/Base pay rates must be increased.
Long Haul Fare: Fare should double when leaving NYC.
UberPOOL: workers should be able to opt-out, POOL rating shouldn’t go against general rating, pickups are often on the bus lane side of the street.
Seniority bonus: Give the drivers a $1,000 bonus for every 1,000 rides and give drivers a bonus on rides already completed in the past when you institute this policy.
Destination Filter: Increase the number of destination trips we can do in a day, count destination trips towards promotions.
These issues were chosen openly and with the steward council over the last few weeks. The survey closes Sunday, June 18 at 9AM. Only New York City TLC licensed drivers’ votes will count.
The Independent Drivers Guild is a Machinists Union affiliate representing app-based drivers. We are Uber, Lyft, Via, Juno, Gett workers united for a fair for-hire vehicle industry.
Today has been marked on my calendar as “doomsday” for a few weeks. But today, we show the Taxi and Limousine Commission, Uber, and Lyft who really has the power: the workers, united.
Mandate our proposed tipping option. It’s the easiest way to get millions of dollars back to the hands of our members.
End the race to the bottom and regulate pay. We propose a minimum mile and minute pay that is protected from sales taxes, surcharges, and commissions. That pay should be enough so you can make at least $250 in an eight hour work day.
Limit the number of TLC licenses to end oversaturation. New licensees can be added seasonally if the number of trips increases.
Protect UberBLACK/Luxury drivers as a class of their own since they experience the most significant financial burden.
Mandate a right to appeal if a company undercharges or would like to take money away from a driver. The Taxi and Limousine Commission should also be required to audit a company’s records every time they receive a complaint from a driver about underpayment.
The Independent Drivers Guild (IDG) is hiring an experienced and self-driven individual interested in helping build our organization from the ground up. We are an affiliate of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW, Machinists Union) and represent 50,000 app-based For-Hire Vehicle workers in New York City.
New York City For-Hire Vehicle workers are required by the Taxi and Limousine Commission to take multiple classes including Defensive Driving, Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle training, a 24 hour class to learn tools of the trade, and others. Right now, classes are primarily provided by for-profit companies making millions of dollars by charging well above cost.
We are seeking an experienced Education Programs Director to start up, maintain, and perpetually grow our education programs. Our goal with this position is to become a main provider of the classes for free, paid, or very affordably, to provide nonessential classes to aid self-development, and help our members save thousands of dollars per year while educating workers about unionism and their rights.
These would be the primary responsibilities of the Education Programs Director:
Start up and grow programs:
Develop goals and workplans for self and the instructor team with Executive Director to best serve membership;
Startup the education programming by finding appropriate space, instructors, negotiate contracts, navigate regulations, and start classes in necessary locales to meet the needs of our membership;
This position includes working closely with the Executive Director in the coordination of and adherence to contract obligations and relationships with other industry groups to assure successful implementation of projects against program goals and objectives;
Find new partners and class space to best serve the geographic and marketing needs of membership;
Ensure the financial sustainability of education programs that encourage the growth of dues-paying membership;
Program maintenance:
Coordinate with members, instructors and other groups to continually develop and improve curriculum to meet the needs of people with varying English abilities and cultural backgrounds;
Lead and design human-centered learning activities to English Language Learner professional drivers;
Minimally twice a month, lead professional development by teaching sample lessons to membership for instructors to observe and critique;
Work with Executive Director, IAMAW, Taxi and Limousine Commission, Consortium for Workers Education, and others to develop programs to best serve membership;
Build a relationship with the Taxi and Limousine Commission and other industry institutions to ensure compliance with rules and laws and funding sources;
Give performance feedback to team members;
Quickly scrap programs that don’t work and invest in programs that do;
Collaborate with other Funds and organizations to facilitate quality programs.
Program recruitment:
Keep the communications team, member-leaders, and organizers up-to-date on classes we are providing, and using those teams to grow the education program;
Delegate to others to market classes to membership using available resources.
Candidate should possess the following experience: project management, excellent verbal and written communication skills, maintaining with relationships with partners organizations or governmental groups, group facilitation, coworking with Google Docs, logistics coordination, developing programs or curriculum (preferably for English as a Second Language Learners).
Candidate would preferably possess background knowledge and/or experience in several of the following fields: adult education, experience navigating regulatory apparatuses, English as a Second Language curriculum writing, vocational education, labor organizing, workforce development, business development, and sustainable practices.
Candidate should have be interested in labor unions and their role in the economic and political realities of today, and interested in helping the Machinists Union build worker power for a fair platform economy.
There are two key dates closing in very quickly: April 6th, and April 17th.
On April 6th, thanks to the input of IDG members, activists like you, and years of pressure from the Machinists Union and other industry leaders, the Taxi and Limousine Commission will have a public hearing to consider regulating driver pay in the For-Hire Vehicle industry for the first time ever.
They hear us and are listening.
April 17th is the deadline for the Taxi and Limousine Commission to accept our proposed rule which would require that all ride-hailing apps have a tipping option to operate in New York City. What does that mean for you? Both Uber and Via would have to implement a tipping option. This could create hundreds of millions of dollars of new income in the industry and a raise of as much as $13,000 annually to each full time member.
We have been circulating a letter of support for a tipping option and have had a very positive response. So far, the following elected officials and organizations have declared their support of our proposed rule:
New York State AFL-CIO
New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Transport Workers Union, Local 100
International Union of Journeymen and Allied Trades
Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union
Utility Workers Union of America, Local 1-2
National Domestic Workers Alliance
Black Car Assistance Corporation
Pakistan News
SubContinent Peace Foundation
The Rideshare Guy
La cooperativa del taxista de NY
Transportation Alternatives
Sapna NYC
Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, Chairperson of the Committee on Transportation
Council Member Karen Koslowitz
Council Member Rory Lancman
Council Member Mark Treyger
Council Member Daneek Miller
Council Member Corey Johnson
Council Member Debi Rose
Council Member Darlene Mealy
If we stand in solidarity with one another, all 50,000 of us can be an unbeatable force in New York City. We will win a fair For-Hire Vehicle industry. Email the TLC now.
Already the Independent Drivers Guild is being viewed as a leader in the space of getting drivers like you benefits, and others are looking to us for guidance on policies for workers nationwide. Now you can help shape benefits for For-Hire Vehicle workers across the country.
The Independent Drivers Guild works to put more money in your pocket and win better working conditions for all. We know it’s vital for the Guild to provide healthcare, disability, a retirement fund, and group accident insurance. We will have good news to report to you soon. Your input will help us set a standard for providing these benefits, and you can find the benefits and discounts currently available at members.drivingguild.org
Please take the survey below to help set a standard for workers’ benefits:
Why would we be fighting for a tipping option instead of a pay increase?
The Guild is fighting for both, we don’t have to choose between a tipping option OR higher pay. Both things should happen, and we’ve been on public record with the Taxi and Limousine Commission in support of pay protections since our inception. Out of precaution, we included language in our petition to the Taxi and Limousine Commission to end the rule if it is any way a hindrance to implementing pay protection. It specifically states: “This rule shall be in effect indefinitely or until the Taxi and Limousine Commission implements a regulatory scheme that ensures drivers are earning a living wage.”
What does the petition to the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) do, and how is it different from the online petition I signed?
The petition we submitted requires the Taxi and Limousine Commission make a yes or no decision on a proposed rule within 60 days (and counting) to approve a rule that implements a tipping option. The rules for petitioning to the TLC are written in the laws that govern the Taxi and Limousine Commission.
I’m not thrilled with [this app or that app’s] tipping option, will this only affect Uber, or the other apps as well?
Our proposed rule states: “All applications for smartphones, tablets, laptops, notebooks or any other interface used to arrange and pay for For-Hire Vehicle (FHV) rides throughout New York City and under the jurisdiction of the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) are hereby required to have an in-application gratuity option. The entire amount of the gratuity option is to be given directly to the driver.“
The rule we proposed is very open, it only requires some kind of option. That could mean that the tip is included in the fare, it could mean that it’s a minimum tip of 20%, as long as the companies aren’t taking a commission from our member, it’s flexible. The Taxi and Limousine Commission also may change the rule before implementing it—which means they could make it like the Taxicab Passenger Enhancements Project rule where it’s a minimum opt-out tip of 20%, or they could make it so if there is an optional tipping option after the fare, it has to always appear, not only when you rate five stars and it disappears after two hours.
Does the TLC have the authority to implement a tipping option?
Within the Black Car industry, absolutely. Under Chapter 52 of the New York City Administrative Code, including but not limited to §52-04 sub paragraph (a)(2) requires that the TLC ”Set and enforce standards and conditions of service.” And subparagraph (a)(4) requires the TLC “Establish and enforce standards to ensure all Licensees are and remain financially stable.”
I like getting cash tips. Wouldn’t this just make it so the government can take a part of my tips?
A huge part of the problem that Uber created along with the narrative that ‘tips aren’t necessary’ was a culture against gratuity for attentive, safe service. As a result, even cash tips are a rarity.
Also, you should be reporting your cash tips anyways.
Wouldn’t this rule reduce drivers’ pay because they would be considered tipped labor?
No. Right now For-Hire Vehicle workers are classified as independent contractors so they’re exempt from wage laws, including laws about a tipped labor wage. However, the Taxi and Limousine Commission is responsible for regulation of the working conditions and pay of our members within the current organization of the industry. This industry is new and constantly changing, which makes it difficult to regulate, but every year without a tipping option our members lose between $3,000-$13,000 per year, conservatively, for no logical reason.
Why is Uber against a tipping option?
In the first Works Council meeting, where member-activists met with Uber management to discuss issues on the job, their argument, and reason they want to keep our members from making more money is because ‘they’re special.’ Meanwhile, we’re defaulting on our credit cards, on food stamps, dependent on the Affordable Care Act, and likely never going to retire. We think Uber likely refuses to implement a tip option to keep our income low so we have to work longer hours to make ends meet.
Isn’t tipping option incompatible with Uber’s model?
No. Uber had a tipping option for years until they were sued for skimming from the tips (our petition prevents that). Tipping is a standard of the For-Hire Vehicle industry which provides necessary income for our members to make ends meet.
Many people are misinformed that For-Hire Vehicle workers are paid enough to make a tip unnecessary, or that tips are included in the fare (they haven’t been for years)—but that doesn’t make any sense when our members are working dangerously long shifts to get by. Just with the per-mile fare, since 2011, Uber has gone from advertising their main per-mile rate of $4.90 per mile all the way down to to $1.75 now–and more than doubled the commission that they charge our members on every ride from 10 percent to as high as 28 percent. As a result, according to a survey from us, more than 30 percent of our members cannot afford healthcare.
Will tips really make a big difference in my income as a driver?
Yes! If our member is tipped at an average of two dollars per trip which is the average for Taxis, our average member may earn over $12,000 a year in tips. Tips are necessary to buy gas for the week, get an oil change, or even just buy food for our families.
Thanks to a petition submitted by the Independent Drivers Guild and the Machinists Union District 15, the Taxi and Limousine Commission has 56 days to decide if apps like Uber should be required to provide a tipping option.
Do your part and make your voice count. Call the TLC and tell them you support a tipping option:
Today we take the next step to win a tipping option on the Uber app. We submitted a petition that requires the Taxi and Limousine Commission commissioner 60 days to consider a rule to mandate a tipping option for app-based companies industry-wide.
While writing this, over 8,200 people have signed our petition pushing Uber to implement a tipping option. If you’re not one of them, sign and share this now: IDG.ms/TIPPING
In solidarity,
Independent Drivers Guild
PS, get instant text updates about this campaign (it’ll be handy) by texting TIPPING to 64336.
The IDG works to give working drivers like you a voice. Not only do we work to give our members a voice by pushing for driver-friendly public policies and work to get you benefits you can’t get as an individual, but with the IDG, drivers have a cohesive voice to improve your working conditions with Uber management.
Works Councils are one way drivers have a voice with Uber management by being a part of the Guild. At Works Council meetings, ten active IDG full members and stewards sit down with Uber management to discuss issues presented by the organizing committee that the membership has voted on.
We have had some success in these meetings, which you may find on our 2016 Year in Review.
In the last meeting, the membership voted to bring up three very important issues:
End Earnings Theft
Compensation for Long Haul Fares
Wait Timer on the X and Black trips
In the meeting, Uber agreed to negotiate with us on creating an earnings theft appeals process, they agreed to implement a wait timer, and they at least claimed that they would look into long haul fares. But so far, they’ve done nothing.
The organizing committee discussed what to do about Uber’s lack of movement. They decided to focus on the most popular and important issue drivers voted to bring to Uber: implementing a due process for earnings theft. Uber “customer service” shouldn’t have the unilateral right to take your money away without you having any say.
Some examples of theft may be:
The company takes your pay after you already completed a fare – blaming it on a passenger complaint;
A driver is underpaid because the company’s app thinks you went from point A to point B as a crow flies;
Company overcharges the Sales Tax, Black Car Fund, or their commission out of driver’s pay;
Company doesn’t pay for a trip without explanation;
Use of fraudulent credit cards by customers and drivers are left unpaid;
Any case-by-case event where a “customer service” company representative would unilaterally decide if the money a driver earned should be taken away.
Although we’re going to primarily focus on implementing a due process for earnings theft in the next meeting, we are still fighting for the other two items listed above, in addition to our ongoing work to secure a fair fare and a tipping option.
