By Bob Katzen

Rideshare drivers in the Bay State, including Uber and Lyft, have become the first statewide rideshare union in the nation to win official recognition.

Supporters say the union, known as App Drivers Union (ADU), will create a path to negotiate better pay and job protections on behalf of nearly 70,000 rideshare drivers across the state. They note that this new union is the largest private workforce to win union recognition since the United Auto Workers did so at Ford in 1941.

“I never dreamed that this day would happen,” said Victoria Acosta, a member leader of the ADU. “I once thought it was impossible that we would have a seat at the table with these two big corporations in front of us. But nothing is impossible when you are united. For me, it is a dream come true, seeing the hard work of all my colleagues collecting cards, talking to the drivers and making sure we can achieve what we dream. It was worth it because now we have our union.”

“This is one of the biggest organizing victories for labor unions in the last century,” said Autumn Weintraub, executive director of the ADU. “Big Tech spent years taking from drivers and writing the rules. Today, 70,000 Massachusetts rideshare drivers won because they wrote our own rules and won the union. Now, for the first time, the app companies have to listen to the workers who make them their money. This is not just a victory for rideshare drivers, but a warning shot to every Big Tech billionaire: Working people are united and are willing to fight for more.”