Dear John, 2022 may have been the deadliest year on record for app workers like Uber and Lyft drivers. It’s heartbreaking, and it’s unacceptable.
New research released today from Gig Workers Rising, the Action Center on Race and the Economy, and PowerSwitch Action finds that in 2022, at least 31 app workers – primarily people of color – were murdered while working. That’s more than we have been able to identify in any prior year. Last year, when Gig Workers Rising first raised the alarm about this crisis, they found that just over 50 app workers were murdered on the job over the five years prior. Now, in just one year, the total is more than 80.
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What makes app work so dangerous? App-based corporations like Uber and Lyft rely on a business model that shifts responsibility for safety on the job to drivers and pushes them into dangerous situations. App corporations have created some of the most dangerous jobs in the U.S. |
Uber and Lyft’s unpredictable pay patterns and threats of deactivation mean that drivers work long hours and accept rides even when they feel unsafe. Too many drivers can’t really avoid being assaulted, robbed, or worse – because they’re afraid they won’t be able to put food on the table if their account gets shut down.
And this crisis impacts folks of color the most. Uber & Lyft are extending a history of carving Black and immigrant workers out of essential labor protections. Drivers of color, the majority of the workforce, continue to face the brunt of the safety crisis. According to a survey of rideshare drivers conducted by the Strategic Organizing Center, 72% of drivers of color reported facing threatening, harassing, or violent behavior at work, compared to 63% of white drivers.
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Drivers shouldn’t have to choose between putting food on the table and staying safe at work. So, they’re fighting back. All across the country drivers are organizing for better pay and fair deactivation policies. |
