Couples hoping to get a ride home from the airport or order a food delivery on Valentine’s Day could be out of luck, with App drivers in 12 cities across the country set to walk off the job in wide sweeping strike action.

In a Feb. 8 statement, Justice for app Workers, a national coalition of ride-sharing and delivery drivers, called on Uber, Lyft, and delivery drivers “tired of being mistreated by the app companies” to join them in the strike by refusing to offer rides from the airport.

According to the coalition, workers are calling for better wages and safety measures, among other things, to ensure the long-term viability of working as an app driver. In addition to going dark on the apps, some are also planning to picket outside airports and Uber offices.

“We’re sick of working 80 hours/week just to make ends meet, being constantly scared for our safety, and worrying about being deactivated with the click of a button,” the statement said.

“We’re not taking rides to or from any airport on February 14, we’re going on strike and telling the app companies that we won’t take it anymore.”

At this stage, drivers in 12 cities across seven states have actions planned.

Between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., anyone looking for a ride might find it more challenging in Austin, Chicago, Hartford, Miami, Newark, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Rhode Island, and Tampa. Justice for App Workers also encourages drivers in other locations to reach out and hold strike events.

The strike, the first since Uber and Lyft went public in 2019, is being organized amid accusations the platforms are taking disproportionately high commissions from drivers. Nicole Moore, president of the California-based Rideshare Drivers United union, said in a media statement she is at a loss to explain how the app companies are calculating driver wages.

“A year into algorithmic pricing, drivers have seen incredible decrease of our pay ... Whatever calculations and algorithms they’re using, it’s absolutely useless,” she said.

According to Gridwise, a delivery driver and rideshare assistant app, Uber drivers saw their gross earnings fall by 17 percent in 2023, while Lyft drivers had a small increase of 2.5 percent in earnings.

Big App Companies Slowly Making Changes

Uber and Lyft have both recently made changes to address some of the drivers’ concerns. Lyft agreed to pay the difference if drivers made less than 70 percent of a rider’s fare after external fees. Last year, 15 percent of Lyft drivers were in this category.

A massive concern for drivers is being deactivated. Essentially, it means getting fired from the company. Your account is deactivated, and you can no longer receive income or accept fares. Drivers are not considered company employees, and it’s far easier to fire them because fewer protections exist. Offences that can result in deactivation can range from driving while under the influence of drugs and alcohol, to more serious offences, such as assault and other unprofessional behaviour.

Lyft has recently altered its policies, allowing drivers to appeal a deactivation decision in the Lyft driver app. Uber also announced updated processes for deactivating a driver’s account, which include creating a pathway to review deactivation decisions.

The Epoch Times has contacted Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash for comment on the strike and drivers’ concerns.