NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) -- A union of rideshare drivers for apps like Uber and Lyft say they plan to strike during the Country Music Association Awards.
The Tennessee Drivers Union (TDU) announced Monday they are directing their Wednesday strike at Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly to demand better pay, a fair share of the payout, and a ban on out-of-state drivers.
According to TDU, the Wednesday strike was intentional, to "show the state how central they are to the tourism industry."
The strike announcement comes after the union reportedly used previous strikes and protests to pressure local officials into commitments designed to help rideshare drivers in Nashville.
TDU says they received the following commitments from Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell's office after winning a town hall:
With the commitment from local elected officials, TDU says the organization has now turned its sights on the state legislature.
With their growing collective bargaining power, TDU says they are demanding dignified pay by the minute and the mile, as well as a ban on out-of-state drivers.
According to TDU, rideshare drivers in Tennessee are "tired of being robbed by Uber and Lyft." They claim the companies are "stealing" between 60% and 80% of any ride fares, meaning drivers can earn as little as $12.58 for a $52.72 ride.
"Drivers are earning poverty wages and most are working 12-hour days, 7 days a week, just to scrape by," the organization said in a press release. "Uber and Lyft individualize their pay rates, which means they can pay two drivers different rates for the same ride. Due to a lack of regulations, the apps do not disclose the parameters they use to justify this difference."
TDU claims Tennessee's $30 billion tourism economy relies primarily on rideshare drivers as the primary mode of transportation to tourist hubs like Broadway. That's why they've chosen the CMA Awards night as the day of their strike, as the awards show brings in around $3 million annually in direct visitor spending.
The union calls on Gov. Bill Lee to become the first governor in the South to initiate regulation on the "exploitative" practice of mislabeling rideshare drivers as independent contractors. As long as the drivers are labeled as such, TDU says they are not covered under the National Labor Relations Act protections other union members have.
TDU said rideshare driver protections have been enacted in New York, Minnesota, and Washington state through the state legislature; the protections include minimum pay standards set by the mile and minute.
On out-of-state drivers, TDU says Uber and Lyft specifically lobbied to get transportation network companies like theirs exempt from a state requirement that drivers must have Tennessee driver licenses to operate within the state. The union also claims the companies "intentionally oversaturated the market with drivers, instead of limiting the number of new drivers to match real demand."
The practice is effectively a union-busting tactic, TDU claims, increasing competition among drivers and allowing Uber and Lyft to "impose precarious conditions" on drivers.
The alleged oversaturation of drivers has led to increased vehicle congestion on the roads, according to TDU, clogging the roads with "drivers looking for rides."
News 2 reached out to representatives for Uber and Lyft, as well as the governor's office for comment. As of publication, they have not responded.