ACRE Demand Uber’s Neglect of Driver Health and Safety
On Monday at 8am PT Uber will host a virtual stockholder meeting, and in advance the Action Center on Race & Economy (ACRE) are demanding Uber finally take specific steps to improve driver safety. Specifically, at the stockholder meeting, investors will have an opportunity to vote for Uber to commission an independent audit on their safety practices.
Veronica Avila from ACRE, alongside US Uber drivers and representatives from driver unions in the Netherlands and New Zealand, are available to speak today to provide further insights into the pressing need for accountability and reform within Uber’s safety operations.
Action Center on Race & the Economy (ACRE) Demand Uber’s Neglect of Driver Health and Safety
[Oakland CA] – In advance of Uber’s stockholder meeting on Monday May 6th, the Action Center on Race & the Economy (ACRE) is calling on all shareholders to vote for Uber to commission a health and safety proposal seeking an independent audit on driver health and safety. This independent report is critical so that drivers and the public can finally have better data on the safety situation for Uber drivers. Despite years of assurances, drivers are still being injured and on occasion killed on the job, and Uber has done very little to improve the situation.
Recently, ACRE spearheaded a webinar aimed at engaging investors on the issue of Uber driver safety. For the past few years drivers and organizers worldwide have been actively collaborating in an effort to compel Uber to address the ongoing safety crisis. Despite persistent pleas from drivers over the years, the company has continuously failed to adequately address these concerns.
The safety issues for drivers are stark. In the US, a survey of drivers found that two-thirds experience some form of violence while working. In Chicago, 75% of drivers experienced an incident of violence in the past year. Per a report from Gig Workers Rising, between 2017-2022 over 80 app workers have been killed on the job in the United States. The crisis isn’t confined to the US, it’s global. In Australia, 36% of drivers reported experiencing “physical health issues or injuries at work. In India, most drivers noted they were in ‘extremely poor health’ due to the job.
Uber’s existing safety reports fail to capture the full spectrum of risks faced by drivers, with many instances of violence and harm going unreported. Statistics reveal that over two-thirds of drivers experienced violence while on duty last year, with alarming rates reported in countries like India. The company was recently designated as one of the National Council for Occupational Safety & Health (NCOSH) “Dirty Dozen” companies.
The proposed audit seeks to evaluate the impact of Uber’s performance metrics, policies, and procedures on driver health and safety across diverse markets. Currently, Uber’s safety reports are limited in scope, predominantly focusing on incidents within the United States and failing to encompass the majority of rides undertaken globally.
Moreover, Uber’s current reliance on self-reporting and safety features overlooks the underlying structural issues within its platform that perpetuate unsafe working conditions. For instance, a staggering 60% of drivers admitted to continuing rides despite feeling unsafe, fearing potential repercussions such as deactivation from the app.
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