Uber and Union Agree to Form Drivers Guild in New York City
- Drivers will not get a formal union or employee status
- Company and guild will together lobby to reduce taxes
Drivers for Uber protest outside the company's offices in Long Island City, in the Queens borough of New York, on Feb. 1, 2016.
Photographer: Victor J. Blue/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Uber Technologies Inc. agreed to start a guild for 35,000 drivers in New York that will help them negotiate with the ride-hailing company, though the group will have less power to resolve disputes than a full-fledged union.
All current and future Uber drivers in New York City will be represented by the Independent Drivers Guild, a newly created affiliate of the International Association of Machinists District 15, according to a statement from the union. Under terms of the five-year contract with Uber, drivers will have a more unified voice to lobby locally and to negotiate with the San Francisco-based company.