Hundreds of thousands of Uber and Lyft drivers set to unionize across California after subtle law change

Hundreds of thousands of Uber and Lyft drivers across California are on the verge of joining what organizers say will become the largest rideshare drivers union in the world.

The California Public Employment Relations Board notified the California Gig Workers Union (CGWU) on Aug. 7 that it had secured support from at least 30% of active rideshare drivers — the threshold required under a 2025 law to move forward with union representation.

CGWU is expected to be certified as the exclusive bargaining representative for Uber and Lyft drivers statewide after a 30-day waiting period, according to the union’s announcement. California has more than 800,000 registered drivers, with labor estimates putting the active workforce at roughly 350,000.

The union effort stems from AB 1340, which created a collective-bargaining system for app-based rideshare drivers, who are generally classified as independent contractors and lack traditional bargaining rights.

The law followed more than a decade of organizing by drivers and the Service Employees International Union, which backed CGWU. After the law took effect, drivers began collecting union authorization cards in more than a dozen languages, through social media, texts, emails and in-person outreach.

“It’s taken more than a decade to reach this moment, and every step of the way, gig drivers have built unstoppable momentum through their courage,” David Green, president and executive director of SEIU 721, said in the announcement.

The drivers now want to take their demands directly to the rideshare giants, with pay, benefits, deactivation from the apps and working conditions expected to be among the major bargaining issues.

“We’re so happy and proud to have finally won our union, and that we will get Uber and Lyft to the table so we can bargain with the gig companies for what we need: strong pay, adequate benefits, and dignified working conditions,” Vikaas Shanker, a Fresno driver, told CalMatters.

Some San Diego rideshare workers have raised concerns about potential union dues and whether the new organization will deliver enough benefits to justify the cost, according to KPBS.

The California Gig Workers Union has said drivers will not be charged dues until a collective-bargaining agreement is ratified.

Margarita Penalosa, a Los Angeles Uber and Lyft driver who helped organize the effort, said drivers had spent years trying to gain a stronger voice over their work.

“We overcame fear, hundreds of millions of dollars spent by the gig companies to undermine our rights at the ballot and proved it’s not the gig apps that connects us, it’s our shared demand for fair pay and treatment as gig workers,” Penalosa said in the union’s announcement.

The certification process is expected to take another 30 days, after which CGWU would become the statewide bargaining representative if no competing organization qualifies to challenge it.

“As this new process moves forward, we’re committed to engaging in good faith. Lyft does well when drivers do well, and we’ll stay focused on helping drivers succeed while keeping rideshare affordable and dependable for everyone who counts on it,” a spokesperson for Lyft told the California Post.

Uber did not immediately respond to The California Post’s requests for comment.

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