Overview
- The Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations certified the App Drivers Union on Monday, May 25, 2026, after finding roughly 32 percent support among active rideshare drivers which exceeded the 25 percent threshold in the voter-approved law.
- The certification starts a six-month window for the union and companies such as Uber and Lyft to bargain under state oversight with mediation or binding arbitration available if talks stall.
- Any final agreement must win majority approval from drivers who completed at least 100 rides in the prior three months and must be signed off by the state’s labor secretary before taking effect.
- The App Drivers Union says it will represent about 70,000 drivers and is backed by 32BJ SEIU and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers while organizers press for a larger share of earnings, reimbursement for expenses and a formal appeals process for deactivations.
- Organizers built the drive through nearly 23,000 signatures and grassroots outreach after a 2024 attorney-general settlement won health coverage, paid sick leave and a state minimum while leaving drivers classified as independent contractors, a result that may prompt similar state efforts elsewhere.