Local Uber and Lyft drivers set to participate in nationwide strike on February 14

Thousands of Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, and workers from other app companies are set to go on strike Wednesday, February 14 to raise awareness about their current work conditions.

The group Justice For App Workers organized the nationwide strike over fair wages, safety, and more, according to its website.

The planned strike is expected to take place at airports in Austin, Chicago, Hartford, Miami, Newark, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Rhode Island, and Tampa from 11 am-1 pm.

Cheryl Ochinero has been living and working in Palm Springs for 16 years, some of that time as a rideshare driver.

She has been passing out flyers in an effort to raise support for her plans to strike at the Palm Springs International Airport in conjunction with the nationwide strike.

Ochinero said rideshare drivers have several issues with the way Uber and Lyft operate, but wages are the main concern.

"Both Uber and Lyft used to pay drivers 65%-70% of the passenger fare, and now they are paying drivers 30%-35% of the passenger fare," according to Ochinero.

News Channel 3 reached out to Uber for comment and were told the following:

“These types of events have rarely had any impact on trips, prices or driver availability, and we expect the same tomorrow. That’s because the vast majority of drivers are satisfied - earnings remain strong, and as of last quarter, drivers in the U.S. were making about $33 per utilized hour. We also continue to act on driver feedback, adding new safety features to the app and improving our account deactivation processes.”

Uber

In response to our request, Lyft sent us the following statement:

"We are constantly working to improve the driver experience, which is why just this month we released a series of new offers and commitments aimed at increasing driver pay and transparency. This includes a new earnings commitment and an improved deactivation appeals process. Now, drivers will always make at least 70% of the weekly rider fares after external fees. It's all part of our new customer-obsessed focus on drivers."

Lyft

Watch News Channel 3 at 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. for more on the story.