Rudy is joined by Jonathan, Henry, and Felipe from the Boston Independent Drivers Guild for a discussion on how gig drivers are resisting and organizing against precarity in their jobs. We discuss what a typical working day looks like and how drivers relate to their jobs and what the workforce looks like and what challenges that entails when organizing, such as multilingualism. Felipe discusses how Uber and Lyft workers can meet each other, how BIDG was started, its current organizing strategy and the long-term goals of the guild, and what their relationship to other unions is. The episode then pivots to the context of Prop 22, how that battle was lost, and how the guild is planning for future fights. We end by discussing Uber’s interface with venture capital and its common lie that the company is not profitable
As Felipe said, if you are a gig worker, or a ride-sharing driver, you are not alone. There is probably a driver union somewhere near you, with people getting organized to fight.