Rideshare Driver Unionization

This page contains information for Transportation Network Companies, Transportation Network Driver Organizations, and Transportation Network Drivers related to their respective rights and obligations pursuant to the 2024 ballot question codified as M.G.L. c. 150F.

In November 2024, Massachusetts voters approved a ballot measure that gave ride share drivers the ability to unionize and collectively bargain.  That process will be administered by the Department of Labor Relations.  

Rideshare driver rights

As a rideshare driver, you have the right to organize and bargain collectively through representatives of your choosing and to engage in concerted activities, for purposes of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection free from interference, restraint, or coercion by rideshare companies, and also the right to refrain from any of these activities.  

It is illegal for any company that you drive for or a union to interfere with your right to join (or not to join) a union. 

If you believe your rights have been violated, you can file an unfair work practice charge against any company that you drive for or your union. Charges must be filed with the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations within 6 months of the violation.

Resources and notices

Frequently asked questions

What is a union?

A union is an organization that represents workers for purposes of negotiating their working conditions such as wages, benefits, and hours through a process known as “collective bargaining.”   

What is the Department of Labor Relations?

The Department of Labor Relations (DLR) is a neutral state government agency that implements and enforces Massachusetts’ collective bargaining laws. The Department does not represent individual rideshare drivers, any rideshare union, or any transportation network or rideshare company.  The Department is only authorized to implement, administer, and enforce the state’s collective bargaining laws. The Department therefore cannot and will not provide any rideshare drivers with guidance, recommendations, or legal advice about forming or joining a union or other matters pertaining to working conditions.

Does any union represent me now? 

Yes, if you are a Transportation Network Driver (TND) who drives in Massachusetts for a Transportation Network Company (TNC) subject to Chapter 150F of the General Laws (currently Lyft, Uber, Via Transportation, Inc., Silver Ride, or UZURV). On May 22, 2026, the DLR certified the App Drivers Union, SEIU 34BJ/IAM (ADU) as the exclusive union for an industry-wide bargaining unit of TNDs who drive for the TNCs in Massachusetts. This certification gave the ADU the right to negotiate on behalf of drivers over wages, benefits, and other working conditions. A copy of the Department’s certification may be found here.  

Does the ADU represent food delivery drivers who work for companies like DoorDash or UberEATS?

No.  The ADU only represents rideshare drivers who drive for eligible TNCs. If you drive for both a food delivery service and one or more eligible TNCs, the ADU will only negotiate your conditions of work as a TND for an eligible TNC (currently Lyft, Uber, Via Transportation, Inc., Silver Ride, or UZURV). 

What happens now that the ADU is certified?

Chapter 150F requires the ADU and the TNCs, either separately or as a group, to start to negotiate over TNDs’ wages, benefits and other terms and conditions of work. Subject to certain legal requirements, the ADU and the TNDs must then submit their negotiated recommendations to the state. If the state approves the recommendations, the terms of the negotiated agreement will apply to all TNDs in the industry-wide bargaining unit. You will not be covered by this agreement until the bargaining process is completed and the agreement has been ratified.

How long will the negotiation process take?

The law does not set an exact deadline to reach an agreement. Some first contracts are reached quickly, while others may take months. The law does provide timelines for procedures the ADU and the TNCs can use to help them reach an agreement. If the ADU and the TNCs have not reached an agreement within 180 days of certification, (by November 18, 2026), either the ADU or a TNC can ask the Department to appoint a mediator.  

A mediator is a neutral person who helps unions and companies try to reach a voluntary agreement when negotiations get stuck. If no agreement is reached within 30 days after the mediator has been appointed, either the ADU or the TNCs can ask the Department to appoint a panel of arbitrators to decide contract terms. Before the panel is appointed, the Department will conduct an election among all TNDs in the industry who have completed at least 100 trips in the previous calendar quarter.  Those TNDs will choose between submitting the bargaining dispute to arbitration or decertifying (removing) the ADU as their bargaining representative.

Will I get to vote on the contract? 

Yes, if you meet the criteria to vote. Specifically, once the ADU and the TNCs have reached a set of negotiated recommendations for the industry, the ADU must submit those recommendations to a vote by all TNDs in the industry who have completed at least 100 trips in the previous calendar quarter. If the majority of TNDs who voted approve the recommendations, those recommendations will be submitted to the state for approval. If the majority of eligible voting TNDs do not approve the recommendations, the ADU and the TNCs will resume bargaining.

Do I have to pay union dues?

No. Chapter 150F does not require rideshare drivers to pay union dues either before or after a rideshare union is certified.

If I join the union, can I still drive for multiple rideshare companies?

Yes.

Will joining the union make me an employee of the company I drive for?

No.

What if I am deactivated?

If, however, you believe that you have been deactivated or discriminated against for reasons relating to forming or joining a union, or for engaging in other forms of lawful protected, concerted activity, your rights are set forth here. It is unlawful for a TNC or rideshare company to interfere in any way with your right to join or support a union or to take adverse action against you based on union activities. It is also unlawful for a union to interfere with your right to join or not to join a union or to take adverse action against you based on whether you join or support a union. 

If you have been deactivated for reasons pertaining to your driving or licensing privileges in Massachusetts, you can find out more information here.