This May Day, rideshare drivers Across Illinois Demand a Voice on the Job and Call for Passage of the Rideshare Drivers’ Union Bill

CHICAGO, IL– Ahead of International Workers’ Day, more than 100,000 rideshare drivers across Illinois are continuing their historic fight to win union rights and secure a real voice on the job. As momentum builds this legislative session, drivers are urging lawmakers to pass the Illinois Transportation Network Driver Labor Relations Act, the Rideshare Drivers’ Union Bill, and ensure rideshare workers are no longer left behind. For too long, rideshare drivers have powered our state economy without basic rights and protections that every worker deserves. 

A new economic study reveals that Illinois rideshare drivers generate a staggering $7.7 billion in annual economic output – revenue that is on the line as drivers are squeezed out of the industry by poverty wages, zero protections, and the unchecked expansion of automated vehicles like Waymo. 

As May Day approaches, a global day honoring workers’ rights and labor solidarity, drivers are making clear that they deserve the same rights as any other worker. For too long, rideshare drivers have powered Illinois’ economy without fundamental protections, despite playing a critical role in keeping communities moving.

Rideshare drivers are facing:

• Low wages that no longer keep up with the cost of living

• Unjust deactivations where drivers can be left without a job in a matter of minutes, without any explanation or way to dispute it

• A lack of safety protections on the job

• The growing threat of job displacement due to automated vehicles 

This legislative session represents a critical opportunity for Illinois to invest in rideshare drivers and the communities that depend on them. In 2025 alone, the rideshare industry generated more than $518 million in estimated combined state and local tax revenue, including over $265 million in estimated revenue to the State of Illinois.

A union would help protect drivers, hold emerging technologies accountable, and sustain drivers’ economic contributions to their communities across the state. 58% of rideshare drivers live in zip codes with incomes below the Illinois median, and research shows that most revenue generated by the rideshare industry is spent locally. This means their spending directly supports areas where it is most needed. 

Passing the Rideshare Drivers’ Union Bill would help ensure accountability in the industry, protect workers from unfair treatment, and create a pathway for drivers to collectively bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions. 

“At a time when billion-dollar corporations are making record profits off the backs of drivers, rideshare drivers are done accepting poverty wages, sudden deactivations, with zero protections on the job,” said Illinois Drivers Alliance Leader Genie Kastrup. “Drivers are generating billions for this state while being paid less, treated as disposable, and pushed out by unchecked corporate greed and automation. Passing the Rideshare Drivers’ Union Bill will not only improve the lives of drivers, but strengthen every community throughout the state of Illinois. This May Day, rideshare drivers are taking to the streets and to the legislature to demand the same rights as every other worker in the state – the right to organize and bargain collectively.”

“Rideshare corporations have long taken advantage of legal loopholes around independent contractors and reaped billions in profits while leaving working class families struggling to make ends meet,” said Illinois Drivers Alliance Leader Ronnie Gonzalez. “This progressive legislation will give drivers a voice in the decision making when it comes to their wages and working conditions. Illinois is a pro-labor state, and this legislation is about lifting workers of the state of Illinois that have been left behind when it comes to representation rights. On this May Day, we ask legislators to stand up for these workers that help drive Illinois’s economy.”

“For the past several years, our wages have shrunk and we have been barely scraping by. Now, we have to worry about completely losing our jobs to driverless vehicles,” said Kevin Hemrick, a Springfield Uber and Lyft driver. This isn’t just a side gig for me, this is my livelihood. Driving is how I put food on the table for my kids, how I keep a roof over our heads – this is how we survive. I am fighting for a union because it is the only real path to lasting change.”

“I am taking to the streets with my fellow rideshare drivers this May Day, because we are tired,” said Mary Wright, a Chicago-based Uber driver. “We are tired of being treated like we are disposable despite Uber and Lyft making billions of dollars off of our labor. We are tired of just having to accept the status quo without a voice on the job. And, we are tired of our elected officials saying they stand with workers yet are entertaining the idea of autonomous vehicles coming to our state to replace us. If you value working people, you will support the Rideshare Drivers’ Union Bill.”

BACKGROUND: 

In January 2026, the Illinois Drivers Alliance, alongside lawmakers, introduced the Illinois Transportation Network Driver Labor Relations Act, SB 2906 and H.B. 4743. Go to our website IllinoisDriversAlliance.org for more information.