An Open Letter to Uber: We Need to Do Right By Our Drivers
Signed by an employee of Uber
The authenticity of the following anonymous op-ed has been verified by Medium’s editorial staff.
I am an Uber employee and I support the drivers’ strikes.
The strikes called on Monday by Rideshare Drivers United (RDU) in Southern California and Gig Workers Rising in San Francisco are a sign of the deep frustration many ride-share drivers feel — and which, amid ongoing conversations with colleagues, it is clear many internal Uber employees share — about the treatment of those workers that provide the services at the core of our business.
As an employee at the world’s leading ride-share company, I see firsthand not only the often meager earnings of our drivers, but also the exploitative labor practices imposed on a systemically disempowered workforce. I, therefore, stand with the striking drivers in calling for the implementation of RDU’s Drivers’ Bill of Rights. While ride-share executives continue to receive vast remuneration packages, and internal employees look forward to an IPO windfall at both Uber and Lyft, my sympathetic colleagues and I will not remain silent as drivers are squeezed in order to shore up initial offerings to investors.
