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Greater Victoria Uber Drivers Secure World’s First Union Certification

The certification opens formal talks on drivers’ working conditions with Uber Canada after B.C.’s updated gig-worker laws.

An Uber driver's vehicle is seen after the company launched service, in Vancouver, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020.
Over 500 Uber drivers signed union cards and have been certified as a union, according to the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Canada.

Overview

  • The B.C. Labour Relations Board certified over 500 Uber drivers in Greater Victoria as members of UFCW Local 1518 on July 2–3, marking the first union recognition for platform-economy workers worldwide.
  • Certification empowers drivers to negotiate their inaugural collective agreement on key issues such as health and safety standards, app-rating transparency and fair account-deactivation processes.
  • Uber Canada director of public policy Laura Miller said the company will sit down with UFCW 1518 to address drivers’ concerns while maintaining scheduling flexibility and rider experience.
  • The union drive built on drivers’ campaign for core protections and B.C.’s 2024 labour reforms that created an online platform-worker category with minimum wage for engaged time and WorkSafeBC coverage.
  • UFCW Canada and Local 1518 leveraged their experience representing emerging-sector workers and collaborating on provincial regulations to support the newly certified drivers.