'You Deserve Fair Pay': Uber, Lyft Drivers Go On Strike To Demand Fair Wages, Better Treatment
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Uber and Lyft drivers are making their voices heard in Philadelphia and around the country Wednesday as they call for better pay and working conditions. Several cities, including Philadelphia, are involved in Wednesday's strike.
The protests come just ahead of Uber's initial public stock offering Friday. Uber hopes to raise $9 billion, putting the company's valuation in excess of $91 billion.
It's not the first time drivers for ride-hailing apps have staged protests. Strikes were planned in several cities ahead of Lyft's IPO last month, although the disruption to riders appeared to be minimal then, too. More cities are participating in Wednesday's protest.
Uber and Lyft drivers are standing in solidarity from Philadelphia to California, demanding they be heard and seen as a vital part of the ride-sharing company, saying they deserve a livable wage.
Drivers let their signs and their chants do their talking, as dozens rallied outside of Uber's hub in Southwest Philadelphia.
"Just keep the pay fair, keep it at a decent livable wage," one driver said.
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They're demanding fair pay in what they say has become and exhaustively unfair job.
"It's incredibly stressful that you are going to go out and work that day and you don't even know if you're going to finish that day ahead," Uber drive Angela Vogel said. "Other days, you work 12 hours, driving nonstop, just to try and make up for the bad days and you're exhausted."
Protests and strikes are happening around the country, as drivers in Los Angeles, D.C., San Francisco, Chicago and Minneapolis turn off the ride-sharing app for 12 hours during a work stoppage.
They're lobbying for higher wages, employee health benefits and recognition in Uber's management structure.
"Whether people do this part-time, full-time, for extra money or because they really need it -- whatever kind of work you do, you deserve fair pay," Vogel said.
The national day of action comes just ahead of Uber's much-anticipated initial public stock offering that is planned for Friday. Both Uber and Lyft drivers say the company will rake in millions of dollars from investors, while drivers scramble to make end's meet.
"The people that are going to benefit off of this didn't make this company. We make this company, we keep it going," Uber driver Patrice Davis said. "None of us drivers are gonna see any of that."
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Uber released a statement in response to the national protests, saying:
"Drivers are at the heart of our service. We cannot succeed without them and thousands of people come into work at Uber every day focused on how to make their experience better, on and off the road."
Drivers also want the state to impose more regulations on Uber and Lyft drivers for their protection.