Media Advisory for Wed., Mar. 16, 2022 – As Gas Prices Soar, Amazon Flex Delivery Workers to Rally and Demand Higher Pay Rates Alongside Uber Drivers

* 8 AM RALLY WEDNESDAY*

As Gas Prices Soar, Amazon Flex Delivery Workers to Rally and Demand Higher Pay Rates Alongside Uber Drivers

At a Rally in Redondo Beach Outside an Amazon Warehouse and Uber Hub, Drivers with the Tech Giants Will Call on the Companies to Put Drivers’ Financial Wellbeing Over Profits; Workers to Denounce Companies for Offering Little Support During Unprecedented Gas-Price Surge

Redondo Beach — As gas prices soar across the Los Angeles area, drivers with Mobile Workers Alliance will join Amazon Flex delivery workers at a rally in Redondo Beach outside an Amazon warehouse and Uber Greenlight Hub where they will demand higher pay rates from the tech companies during an unprecedented fuel-cost surge.

The average price of gas in Los Angeles and Long Beach rose to $5.84 on Tuesday, up 22% from a month ago and nearly 50% from a year ago, cutting deeply into the already low earnings of Uber and Amazon Flex drivers. Because they are misclassified as “independent contractors” by the companies they work for, these drivers largely cover the cost of fuel on their own with little support from the tech giants.

At the rally, drivers with Amazon Flex and Uber will call for per-mile pay rates to be increased by these tech giants during the unprecedented increase in gas prices and for the companies to put their workers’ financial wellbeing ahead of profits.

There is no reason for these rich tech companies to dismiss this demand other than greed!

WHO: Uber drivers with Mobile Workers Alliance and Amazon Flex delivery workers.

WHAT: Motor caravan, rally, and drivers speaking and sharing personal stories about skyrocketing gas prices cutting into their earnings.

WHEN: 8 a.m., Wednesday, March 16

WHERE: 2400 Marine Ave., Redondo Beach, CA 90278

VISUALS: Drivers will hold pro-driver signs, flags, and banners. Cars will be decorated with pro-worker signage.

Background: Gig companies like Uber spent more than $225 million in 2020 campaigning for Proposition 22 — a voter measure that passed in November of that year that misclassified gig drivers as “independent contractors” and not employees of the tech giants.

In August 2021, an Alameda County Superior Court judge ruled that Prop 22 was unconstitutional under state law, as it limits California lawmakers’ power to include gig workers in the state’s workers’ compensation program and strips the legislature of its ability to pass laws protecting drivers’ right to organize and form a union. The ruling also said that gig companies misled voters about the intent of Prop 22.

Still, gig drivers’ conditions haven’t changed much as the companies appeal the decision.

Amazon Flex drivers take shifts through an app much like rideshare drivers, picking up packages at Amazon warehouses and other facilities to deliver to customers.

As independent contractors, rideshare and Amazon Flex drivers largely cover the cost of fuel on their own with little support from the tech companies they work for. These workers’ misclassification as “independent contractors” also excludes them from basic labor rights and protections — including paid sick leave, overtime pay, unemployment insurance, access to workers’ compensation, and the right to form a union.

Mobile Workers Alliance is part of a coalition of over 24,000 drivers statewide who are responsible for the billions that companies like Uber and their investors pocket every year. We’re uniting to win our union and a better life for ourselves and our loved ones. 

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Contact: Tim Sandoval, 213-218-5855

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