Uber Drivers Threaten Protests But $9 Billion IPO Rides On

Uber drivers in major cities across the U.S. and the U.K. threaten strikes over low wages and unstable working conditions, according to Bloomberg.

Billed as an international protest in advance of Uber’s planned IPO, drivers in London and nearby cities said they would turn off their apps. In the U.S., driver groups in Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and other large cities said they would participate in the strike and encouraged users to boycott the apps as well.

There was little initial evidence of a lack of drivers in London, one of Uber’s largest markets, with the app showing numerous rides available around the capital’s financial district. However, the threat of protests captured the attention of local politicians, with U.K. opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeting that “Uber cannot be allowed to get away with huge payouts for their CEOs while refusing to pay drivers a decent wage and respect their rights at work.“

At issue are long-standing disputes between the companies and professional drivers, who say the platforms have made it difficult to make a living in the industry. Demands from the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, which largely echoed other groups, included boosting job stability by ending “unfair deactivations,“ raising driver pay and increasing regulation of fares while guaranteeing drivers a larger cut. Some organizers also called for drivers to be classified as employees, a move that would have profound implications for the ride-hailing business model if enacted by governments.

The protests will be familiar to anyone who was following Lyft’s IPO, which valued the business at $25 billion in March. As the company pitched itself to investors, protesters attempted to picket the company’s roadshow, and drivers went on strike in San Diego and Los Angeles. But the spectacle around Uber is expected to be even bigger. Gestures of goodwill by Lyft and Uber to offer IPO stock to their most loyal drivers haven’t eased tensions.