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14h ago

Massachusetts Certifies First Statewide Rideshare Drivers Union

The recognition starts a six-month, state-run bargaining period that will test whether a nontraditional union model can win enforceable pay and protections for gig drivers.

Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healey speaks during a rally outside the Massachusetts State House after the App Drivers Union announced it had become the first certified union of rideshare drivers in the nation, on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Leah Willingham)
Massachusetts Uber driver Jean Fredo raises his arms while speaking during a during a rally outside the Massachusetts State House after the App Drivers Union announced it had become the first certified union of rideshare drivers in the nation, on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Leah Willingham)
An app drivers union in Massachusetts was certified after a ballot measure in 2024 gave the drivers the right to collectively bargain.
An organizer with the App Drivers Union speaks through a megaphone during a during a rally outside the Massachusetts State House after the App Drivers Union announced it had become the first certified union of rideshare drivers in the nation, on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Leah Willingham)

Overview

  • The Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations certified the App Drivers Union last week to represent about 70,000 Uber, Lyft and other platform drivers, making it the first state-recognized rideshare drivers union in the United States.
  • Under the 2024 voter-approved framework the union qualified after showing designation by more than 25% of active drivers and now has six months to bargain with companies under state supervision, with mediation or arbitration available and any contract requiring majority driver ratification plus the labor secretary’s sign-off.
  • Uber and Lyft have said they will engage in the process and negotiate in good faith while continuing to oppose reclassifying drivers as employees, so outcomes will depend on talks over pay shares, compensation for expenses and waiting time, and formal appeals for deactivations.
  • Organizers and drivers list shrinking take-home pay, rising fuel and maintenance costs, opaque deactivation rules, and the spread of autonomous vehicles as top bargaining priorities, while the union faces practical limits from voluntary dues and a large, dispersed, multilingual workforce.
  • The certification builds on a 2024 attorney-general settlement that set a state pay floor and signals a template for other states such as California and Illinois, with key next steps to watch being whether the union secures a majority-backed contract and how any gains are paid for through fares, incentives or platform margins.