Overview
- The Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations certified the App Drivers Union last Friday after finding 32% of active rideshare drivers had designated it, exceeding the 25% threshold set by the 2024 voter-approved Question 3.
- The union says it will represent nearly 70,000 drivers who work for platforms such as Uber and Lyft and can now demand collective bargaining over pay, deactivation appeals, expense reimbursement, and automation protections.
- Under the law, the union and companies have six months to negotiate under state supervision before mediation or arbitration can be invoked, and any final contract must win majority approval from drivers who completed at least 100 rides in the prior three months plus sign‑off by the labor secretary.
- Uber and Lyft issued statements saying they will engage in good faith and stressed preserving driver flexibility, while organizers and allied unions (SEIU 32BJ and the IAM) say they will press for higher net pay after analyses showed platforms take a large share of fares.
- The recognition builds on a 2024 state settlement that set minimum pay and benefits, and it creates a novel, state‑level model for unionizing independent contractors that other states are watching but that faces logistical and financial challenges in negotiating how higher driver pay would be funded.