On Monday afternoon, about 100 ride-sharing drivers marched through downtown Portland as part of a caravan demanding more job security and better pay.
Drivers snaked around the block of the Portland Building at Southwest 5th Avenue and Main Street, honking their horns and pumping their fists in the air. Others carried signs on their cars that read “Driver’s Rights Now” and “Fair Pay Now!”
The caravan, organized by the Drivers Union Oregon, followed a vote by a city advisory committee earlier this year that recommended Portland adopt a minimum wage standard and basic job protections for rideshare drivers.
“We think Portland drivers should do something about it now,” said Kerry Harwin, union spokesman. “We think all Portland residents deserve a fair wage.”
He said the rally was meant to show the city that the committee’s recommendation should be taken seriously. The city took no action on the committee’s vote, Harwin said.
Rideshare drivers are considered independent contractors and therefore pay their own labor costs, including fuel, maintenance and insurance. Fights are taking place across the country as advocates demand higher wages and expanded worker protections for rideshare companies.
In 2022, Washington passed a law providing paid sick leave to Uber and Lyft drivers. The year before, state leaders passed a separate law setting a minimum wage and other benefits for Lyft and Uber drivers.
An Uber spokesperson said drivers’ median earnings during a trip, which includes tips and bonuses, have increased nearly 30% over the past six years, while the company’s share of each trip has remained flat. The spokesperson added that drivers earn on average more than $30 an hour while using the app.
In a statement, Lyft said the company was in contact with the Driver Advisory Council and pointed to a list of commitments it had made regarding driver pay and transparency.
This includes a guarantee that drivers earn at least 70% of the weekly passenger fare after deducting external fees.
“Improving the driver experience is critical to our mission,” noted a Lyft spokesperson.
In June, an Uber driver was shot and killed in southeast Portland.
Another Uber driver was shot and killed in Northeast Portland in 2020 after four suspected assailants mistook him for a gang rival, police said. In April 2022, a father of eight was shot while driving for Uber on a stretch of Northeast Milton Street. And a July 2022 shooting in Northeast Portland killed an Uber passenger and seriously injured a driver.
“We believe the best thing we can do for drivers’ safety is to allow them to earn enough to make their own decisions when they want to drive,” Harwin said.
— Zaeem Shaikh covers the Portland Police Bureau and criminal justice issues for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at 503-221-4323, [email protected] or @zaeemshake.
