Photo: Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images News / Getty Images
Thousands of ride-share and delivery drivers went on strike on Valentine's Day to protest for higher wages and better working conditions. The strike was organized by the group Justice for App Workers.
"While Silicon Valley and Wall Street take an ever-increasing cut of driver earnings, they're raising rates on passengers and expecting consumers and workers alike to accept their increasing corporate greed," Justice for App Workers said in a statement.
The group said that Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash drivers in over a dozen cities were turning off their apps and refusing to pick up riders or delivery orders. Those cities include Austin, Chicago, Hartford, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, San Francisco, Tampa, and Washington, D.C.
The groups will also hold rallies at airports in those cities.
"The main challenge is surviving," Uber driver Nupur Chowdhury told the Washington Post. "We cannot make the same amount of money we used to make, even if we work double the hours."
Drivers in the United Kingdom are also participating in the strike.
Alix Anfang, a spokeswoman for Uber, told the Washington Post the company does not expect the day-long strike to have a significant impact on operations and that people should have no problem finding an affordable ride.
"That's because the vast majority of drivers are satisfied — earnings remain strong, and as of last quarter, drivers in the U.S. were making about $33 per utilized hour," Anfang said.