Uber drivers rally outside company’s San Jose facility to protest ‘unfair’ deactivations

Porras and other drivers said being disabled costs them their livelihood for days, weeks or months, putting additional financial and emotional strain on workers who already feel exploited by the gig economy.

Tuesday’s rally was part of a multi-city effort launching a new campaign called Activate Respect, calling out the company for processes the group wants to revamp and rebalance, so drivers have a more equal priority with customers.

It’s one of the latest campaigns by gig workers to demand better treatment, benefits, wages and protections from the giant companies that run these markets, as the companies have pushed controversial legislation to avoid spending more on employee overhead.

Deactivations happen for a wide variety of reasons, drivers say, including minor customer complaints, which can sometimes be falsely filed by a passenger seeking a discount or free ride from the company.

A driver can also be deactivated if the app’s facial recognition software is unable to match the driver’s face on a given day with their ID on file.

Drivers said one of the biggest problems they face is not being able to get clear information about why they are disabled, often saying they receive boilerplate or vague notifications.

Once disabled, “it’s virtually impossible to talk to a human being who can fix the problem,” the campaign website says.

San Jose City Council member Peter Ortiz, who spoke at the rally in support of the drivers, said workers in most jobs have more rights and clearer processes when mistakes are made.

“Your boss is having a conversation with you. There’s an opportunity to fix performance, there’s an opportunity to provide feedback, right? You don’t just get fired out of nowhere,” Ortiz said. “You don’t just wake up getting ready to make money for your family, put food on the table, and find out your job has been stolen.”

He said Uber “primarily takes advantage of communities of color and immigrants,” including South Americans who often take driving jobs.

Uber declined an interview request from KQED on Tuesday, but in an emailed statement, a spokesperson said the company is “fully committed” to improving how it serves drivers and creating a platform -safe and fair form.

“Over the years, we have implemented significant improvements based on driver feedback, including establishing an appeals process for deactivations and protecting drivers from false allegations,” the statement said.

On a company webpage, Uber said that when opt-outs occur, it will “strive to be clear, empathetic and consistent in our communications and specific and transparent about the reasons for our decision, except where it presents a risk for other users. »

It also notes that the company strives to provide advance notice to drivers, but that this is not always possible, and that drivers “should have the opportunity to request a review of any decision that removes access for longer of 7 days and which cannot be resolved by then. the driver or delivery person alone.