Rideshare drivers have unionized in Tennessee and are striking the Nashville International Airport on the busy Labor Day weekend. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Following a vote to form the Tennessee Drivers Union earlier this week, around 100 rideshare drivers went on strike at Nashville International Airport on Friday in an effort to bring attention to the struggles they face in Tennessee.
The Tennessee Drivers Union represents hundreds of drivers from more than 14 countries, according to a statement from the organization. The TDU says many work 12-hour days in order to make ends meet as Uber and Lyft take increasing percentages of fares.
In collaboration with A Luta Sigue, a movement incubator, TDU says it has surveyed hundreds of drivers, who came up with five key demands for their strike. These include improving working conditions at Nashville International Airport through expanding the rideshare waiting lot, which currently has about 90 parking spots for drivers, as well as building clean, accessible bathrooms. They are also asking that Nashville implement electric scooter curfews due to drunk drivers and safety issues, that legislators put a stop to out-of-state drivers, and for better pay overall.
“Drivers are central to key sectors of Tennessee’s economy and yet are compensated less and less each year,” TDU said in a statement. “Uber and Lyft steal 60-80% of the fare of any given ride. Drivers are fighting for this to change. Tennessee Drivers Union is the largest effort of its kind to happen in the South.”
Arkangelo Wilson, co-president of TDU, said he’s been a driver for Uber and Lyft for about six years and had previously worked in health care at a nursing home. In an interview this week he said he struggles to provide for his family now. He said there are many times he makes less than $15 in fares for taking passengers from the airport to downtown Nashville. With gas, car maintenance and tickets for standing while waiting to collect passengers, Wilson says there’s little income left.
“Everything is too expensive,” Wilson said. “Why do the fares keep changing every hour? Why can it not be consistent? We need a bigger lot at the airport. You move around the circle six times, ten times. You don’t make up the gas you wasted.”
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Drivers are central to key sectors of Tennessee’s economy and yet are compensated less and less each year,” a statement from the Tennessee Drivers Union reads. “Uber and Lyft steal 60-80% of the fare of any given ride. Drivers are fighting for this to change. Tennessee Drivers Union is the largest effort of its kind to happen in the South.”
Wilson also said drivers frequently come from out of state, sometimes from Kentucky and Alabama. These drivers will often sleep in their cars and shower in gas stations, working for several days. At the end of their week they travel back home, taking their profits and income with them.
TDU drivers and organizers say downtown Nashville has also become unsafe due to drunken passengers and scooter drivers. A TDU statement referenced the 2019 accidental death of 26-year old Brady Gaulke, who was killed after being hit by a car while driving a scooter at around 10 pm. Later reports found that Gaulke had high blood alcohol content levels at the time of the crash. TDU is asking officials to ban scooters after 9 pm.
“Scooters are not only a safety threat to Nashville’s residents, tourists and drivers, but also are a way for rideshare companies to automate drivers out of commercial transportation and reduce their input costs,” a TDU statement said.
In an email statement, Lyft said the app has implemented a new earnings policy for drivers.
“Improving the driver experience is essential to our purpose,” the company’s statement reads. “That’s why we’ve been releasing a steady drumbeat of new offerings and commitments aimed at increasing driver pay and transparency. This includes a new earnings commitment and an improved deactivation appeals process. Now, drivers will always make at least 70% of the weekly rider fares after external fees.”
Uber officials had not responded to a request for comment at publication time.
TDU organizers say they are committed to a years-long fight if needed. Wilson and Haber said TDU knows a single action won’t be enough to make major changes, and plan to continue working to see their demands met. Wilson says that even if he moves on to other employment later on, it’s important to leave the industry more sustainable than he found it.
“I know a lot of people or passengers, they think we make a lot of money doing this job,” Wilson said. “I have to push for it. Even if I leave at the end, [I’ll] know citizens are living well. Just like any other human being.”
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