Uber drivers in Massachusetts just pulled off the biggest labor win since 1941 — just before the robots arrive

Drivers for ride-hailing apps such as Uber and Lyft in Massachusetts became the first in the nation Tuesday to certify a union, marking a milestone in the growing effort to organize gig-economy workers amid ongoing concerns over pay, expenses and working conditions. The victory could provide a model for similar campaigns gaining traction in states including California and Illinois, where labor organizers are increasingly targeting app-based industries as drivers also grapple with the rapid expansion of self-driving technology. As drivers waved signs and chanted with the gold dome of the Massachusetts State House providing a backdrop, labor leaders described the victory as the largest private-sector organizing win since Ford autoworkers unionized in 1941. Jean Fredo, who has driven for Uber for more than seven years, said he hopes the union will bring better pay, stronger protections against sudden deactivations and more stability for drivers. “With the union, it will not feel like we’re working for nothing,” he said in French through a translator. “Now the money will not only stay in the billionaire’s pockets. The money will actually come to the workers who work very hard.” The certification became possible after the state’s voters approved a 2024 ballot measure creating a first-in-the-nation framework allowing ride-hailing drivers to unionize and bargain collectively while remaining independent contractors. Organizers say the union could ultimately represent nearly 70,000 drivers statewide. Drivers hope for relief on wages, deactivations Driver Alfred Potter said a few days ago, the App Drivers Union was “still no more than a dream — a goalpost the app companies continued to move until they could move it no more.” Victoria Acosta, a mother who drives for both Uber and Lyft, said she spent months knocking on doors, testifying at hearings and speaking with hundreds of other drivers as organizers built support for the union effort. “Without the support of the dr