Mobility Justice for Workers: PMJ Supports #StrikeUberLyft on May 8

As our team designed the #MobilityJusticeDeck last year, we talked about how mobility justice includes the workers who manufacture, operate, and maintain our transportation systems. When the transportation industry creates new kinds of goods and services, they also create new kinds of workers. These are folks who support families, need safe working conditions, and who eventually age out of the workforce. Unfortunately, their prosperity is often left out of the plans of the industry, which is why there is a rich history of unions supporting transit operators and auto manufacturing workers.

Today’s mobility industry may tell the public that they’re all about innovation, equity, and sustainability, but they’re keeping up the tradition of worker exploitation. That’s why it’s so important for advocates like PMJ to demand better treatment for workers. We don’t consider mobility workers and mobility users to be different groups; we have a common cause. We’re all experiencing the insecurity that those profiting from the gig economy have in mind for our families and our futures.

In March, we hosted a webinar through The Untokening’s Transformative Talks series that spotlighted worker organizing in bike share and rideshare industries. Here in Los Angeles, Rideshare Drivers United is growing fast and their driver-led movement has a strong vision for mobility justice. At midnight on May 8, they are calling for all drivers and passengers to turn their rideshare apps off until midnight on May 9.

Check out more details about the strike here and join us in supporting #StrikeUberLyft on Wednesday.