Passenger motorists, gathered in the cell phone plaza at LaGuardia Airport on Sunday, began the week-long countdown to the strike.
This coming Sunday (February 26), the New York Taxi Workers Alliance said Uber and Lyft drivers will not collect any airport fares between 12 noon and 12 am.
The planned strike continues to prompt New York-area drivers to demand higher wages and more job security from companies like Uber and Lyft.
The Feb. 26 strike is the third to be staged since Uber blocked a hike that is expected to take effect in December before a judge temporarily rules in favor of the company suing the Taxi and Limousine Commission.
“Uber and Lyft thought that drivers would never be able to organize, that drivers would never be able to come together and advocate for what’s up with drivers, but this is a new day,” said CEO Bhairavi Desai, CEO of the group’s Sunday rally.
Regulators say Uber continues to block wage increases while making “record profits”.
Uber said in a statement that drivers have received three fare increases since 2020.
“This is the only industry in the state with a required annual increase linked to the rate of inflation, while minimum wage workers have not had a single increase since 2018,” a company spokesperson said.
