Massachusetts Forms 1st Rideshare Driver Union In America

The first rideshare driver union in America organized in Massachusetts, the App Drivers Union announced.

"In a watershed moment for the nation’s labor movement, rideshare drivers in Massachusetts with the App Drivers Union (ADU) have become the first statewide rideshare union in the country to win official recognition, creating a path toward negotiating better pay, job protections on behalf of nearly 70,000 rideshare drivers across the Commonwealth," the union said in a media release.

Subscribe

See also: 5 Arrested After Fight In Dorchester Courthouse: Reports

"Rideshare drivers in Massachusetts are the largest private workforce to win union recognition since UAW autoworkers at Ford in 1941," the release said. "With as many as 70,000 rideshare drivers in Massachusetts, recognition of their union is a historic win for working people that gives momentum to the nationwide push among rideshare drivers for union rights."

See also: MA State Police Pausing Training Academy Troop Slated For June

The newly unionized drivers will now "seek to raise standards around pay, safety and deactivations," according to the release.

"I never dreamed that this day would happen," Victoria Acosta, a member leader of the App Drivers Union, said in the release.

See also: Former MA Rep Barney Frank Dies At 86

"I once thought it was impossible that we would have a seat at the table with these two big corporations in front of us,” Acosta said.

See also: Boston Red Sox Fans 2nd Most Foul-Mouthed In MLB Fandom: Study

“But nothing is impossible when you are united," she said. "For me, it is a dream come true, seeing the hard work of all my colleagues collecting cards, talking to the drivers, and making sure we can achieve what we dream. It was worth it because now we have our union."

See also: 1 MA Town Among 250 Best Places To Live In US News Ranking