‘They've made history': Victoria Uber drivers unionize
The drivers have been certified under B.C.'s largest private sector union, UFCW 1518, which says it will now support them as they seek Canada's first collective agreement for rideshare drivers.
The union is hailing the move as a 'new chapter' in labour relations for app-based workers.
'They've made history, and now they have our union ready to back them up,' said UFCW 1518 president Patrick Johnson in a statement.
UFCW national president Shawn Haggerty called the certification a 'defining moment.'
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'The certification of Uber drivers in Victoria shows that workers in every sector — even in the platform economy — can organize and win,' he said.
'These drivers are setting a national precedent.'
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According to the union, drivers have flagged transparency around trip rates and earnings, health and safety protections and fair processes for account deactivations as their key issues.
In a statement, Uber said it would meet with UFCW 1518.
It said the certification won't change how drivers interact with the service or the experience for riders.
'With the recent modernization of BC labour laws, which now protect that flexibility, drivers as online platform workers can determine whether they want union representation,' Uber Canada director of public policy Laura Miller said in a statement.
'We will be sitting down with UFCW 1518 to discuss the issues raised by drivers.'
The certification comes after B.C. updated its labour laws in 2024, creating an online platform worker category among other changes for 'gig workers,' such as a minimum wage for 'engaged time' and coverage from WorkSafeBC.
Uber began operating in Victoria in June 2023, three years after the service first rolled out in the Lower Mainland.
The company expanded service provincewide earlier this year.
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