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Hi John,

My name’s Kareem and I drive for Uber and Lyft in Denver, Colorado. I started driving more than five years ago as a way to supplement my income and take care of my family. Yet with each passing year, I’ve had to work more and more hours, while taking home less and less pay. 

This isn’t just happening to me, and low pay is just one of the challenges that drivers face. We have bills to pay and families that depend on us, but these corporations treat us like we’re disposable. 

Everyday we deal with the threat of getting completely cut off from our job. Uber calls it “deactivation,” but it basically means being fired without warning, explanation, or a clear process to appeal. 

It’s exactly what happened to me: I woke up one morning ready to drive, but I couldn't access my account. I didn’t understand what was happening until Uber sent me a message informing me that a passenger accused me of being drunk. 

Here’s the story of how I went all the way to Uber HQ to get answers and my job back

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I don’t drink alcohol, but this accusation was enough to lock me out of my account and cut me off from my livelihood.

I spent days trying to get answers from Uber and prove that the accusation was false, but I was given the run-around. For six months I sent messages through the app, emailed, and called — all while being ignored or misdirected by Uber, and losing out on income I needed to support my family.

Finally, I flew from Denver directly to Uber’s headquarters in San Francisco to fight for my job. Eventually, I spoke with someone who instructed me on how to file a dispute, and I was able to get my account reactivated. 

This took months to resolve, and it wasn't an easy or clear process. Deactivations happen all too often to drivers, and we rarely know the reason or have the means to fight back. We do the hard work for these corporations, but everyday we live in fear of getting fired by an app. 

That’s why drivers are joining together to improve our jobs, our lives, and the services we provide to our passengers and communities. Through Activate Respect, we’re fighting to end unfair deactivations and hold Uber accountable to the people who drive their business.

If you can, please share my story on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook!

In solidarity,

Kareem Sawadogo

Colorado Independent Drivers United

Activate Respect

PowerSwitch Action
1305 Franklin St.
Suite 501
Oakland, CA 94612
United States

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