By Nate Raymond
BOSTON, May 26 (Reuters) - Ride-share drivers for app-based companies such as Uber and Lyft have unionized in Massachusetts, forming what state officials and labor leaders said was the first officially recognized organization in the U.S. to represent such gig workers.
The newly formed App Drivers Union received certification from the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations on Friday to represent nearly 70,000 ride-share drivers operating as independent contractors in the state.
"It changes the game for ride-share workers across this country," Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, a Democrat, said at a rally with drivers and labor activists in Boston on Tuesday.
The certification occurred after voters in November 2024 approved a ballot measure that created a novel framework to allow drivers for companies like Uber and Lyft to organize and bargain collectively over pay and benefits.
That vote followed a years-long, nationwide battle over whether ride-share drivers should be considered independent contractors or employees entitled to benefits and wage protections.
Drivers for Uber and Lyft do not have the right to organize under the National Labor Relations Act, a federal law that covers only traditional employees.
But under the state law, drivers could form a union after collecting signatures from at least 25% of active drivers in Massachusetts - a condition that was met by union supporters. The union is backed by 32BJ SEIU, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union, and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.
"The workers who built these billion-dollar corporations deserve a union contract and a seat at the table," IAM President Brian Bryant said at Tuesday's rally.
He and other union leaders held up Massachusetts as a key labor victory as unionization efforts mount in other states.
In California, ride-share drivers gained the right to unionize under legislation signed into law in October by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. Similar legislation is pending in Illinois.
Lyft and Uber did not campaign against the Massachusetts ballot measure. Lyft said on Tuesday it was committed to engaging in good faith as the Massachusetts process moves forward.
"Lyft does well when drivers do well, and we'll stay focused on helping drivers succeed while keeping rideshare affordable and dependable for everyone who counts on it," Lyft said in a statement.
Uber did not respond to a request for comment.
In the months before the 2024 vote, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell secured a settlement with Uber and Lyft requiring them to adopt a $32.50 hourly minimum pay standard for Massachusetts drivers and pay $175 million to resolve claims they had improperly treated drivers as independent contractors, rather than employees, under state law.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
