Metro Atlanta Uber, Lyft drivers strike on May Day over pay

ATLANTA - Need a ride on Wednesday? It may be a bit difficult if you're using popular ridesharing apps like Uber and Lyft.

Rideshare and delivery drivers in metro Atlanta are taking part in a nationwide strike on May Day as part of a push to demand higher wages and job protection.

The protest, led by the group Justice for App Workers, is asking Georgians not to use the services in support of the striking workers.

Among the services included in the strike are Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Grubhub, Amazon Flex, Uber Eats, Postmates, Instacart, and other app companies.

"Across the country, the cost of living is climbing, and drivers are seeing less and less money from each ride," the group said in a statement, arguing that many drivers live ride-to-ride while executives take most of the profits.

A Lyft decal is seen on a car in the pick-up area at JFK Airport on April 28, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

The group also claims the companies' algorithms unfairly deactivate accounts - giving them no job security. These deactivations also allegedly affect drivers of color disproportionally. 

Local drivers plan to rally at Liberty Palaza at 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

Strikes and rallies are also planned in other U.S. cities, including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Charlotte.

In a statement, an Uber spokesperson said that the company was "deeply committed to the safety of its drivers.

"As we’ve seen with past demonstrations from this small but vocal group — most recently on Valentine’s Day where we saw more drivers working compared to the year prior — we anticipate no impact to our business or rider reliability," the spokesperson said. "As of Q4 2023, drivers in the US were making a median of $33 per hour while on a trip, and we recently rolled out new driver protections and deactivation policy changes."