Uber ride-share driver Michelle Searer was tired Monday after dropping off a fare at O’Hare Airport, and decided to swing by the new Illinois Independent Drivers Guild’s (IDG) hub in Park Ridge for a bite to eat and to relax.
“It’s a nice place to come in and network with other drivers and share stories and what not,” said Searer, who has been driving for Uber for about two and a half years.
“It’s great what they’re doing, advocating for drivers and improving conditions and being that mediator with the company,” she added. “I’m looking forward to what’s to come in the future.”
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The March 5 official opening of the IDG storefront hub at 114 West Higgins Road in Park Ridge attracted hundreds of ride-share and delivery drivers interested in learning about the guild, said Lenny Sanchez, director of the Illinois chapter. He also said the Park Ridge office is the first driver-led office in the country.
“We had a great buzz all day here,” Sanchez said of the grand opening. “We had a couple of hundred drivers come and check it out, have a bite and participate in the general meeting and learn about what we’re offering and doing here.”
He said the driver-led coalition has organizers on-site to support driver needs including deactivation support, legal support, assistance after an accident or violent incidents, safety and mental health and wellness resources. Drivers also have the opportunity to voice on-the-job concerns and to get involved with ride-share driver advocacy. The Park Ridge storefront hub also has a lounge with a TV, bathrooms with a foot washing station and a prayer room.
“The popularity of this office is starting to skyrocket,” Sanchez said. “They’ve been coming in and out all week. This last week has been awesome. I am super psyched.”
He said one of the main issues many drivers have been experiencing is the de-activation of their Uber drivers app and that the IDG is working with them to appeal that decision to the company.
“A lot of drivers are unfairly de-activated from the applications and that’s wrong because that’s how we make a living,” Sanchez explained. “It could be because a passenger lied because we wouldn’t let them drink green beer in the back seat of our car on St. Patrick’s Day kind of things. They submit a false accusation to retaliate on us. Those things end up being really harmful for a driver.”
He also said the guild is working to restore wages that were cut when Uber without explanation changed the percentage of passenger fares it pays drivers.
“Not only are the drivers underpaid but the passengers and being ripped off,” Sanchez said. “At the end of the day all the company is doing is sharing GPS locations with one user to another and processing a credit card. That should not mean they can charge a customer an extra hundred dollars for a fare that they don’t share with the driver.”
He also said the group is working with Chicago and state lawmakers on ordinances to ensure drivers have rights and are protected by the law. In addition, the guild is working with the International Association of Machinists with an eye toward organizing ride-share and delivery drivers.
“The goal is for us to be able to unionize, to carve out collective bargaining rights for independent contractors that work on applications doing deliveries or ride-share,” Sanchez said.
Searer, 54, said she would strongly support a union drive.
“It’s a good move,” she said. “It seems like you have to reinvent the wheel in every city if you want to have that support. This is an exploding business. There’s less and less for the driver. We want a fair wage and safety issues addressed.”
