Nearly 600 Rideshare Drivers Rally in Springfield, Urging Legislators to Pass the Rideshare Drivers’ Union Bill, Giving Union Rights to 100,000+ Drivers Across the State

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – On Wednesday, May 20, nearly 600 rideshare drivers from across Illinois took to the Illinois State Capitol to demand that lawmakers pass the Illinois Transportation Network Driver Labor Relations Act, also known as the Rideshare Drivers’ Union Bill. This landmark legislation would create a legal pathway for more than 100,000 rideshare drivers in Illinois to form a union and bargain collectively with app-based companies. For months, drivers have made calls, written emails, shared their stories, and now they are urging elected officials to take action because drivers can no longer wait. 

Rideshare drivers are essential to Illinois’ transportation system, ensuring millions of residents, visitors, students, and workers can get where they need to go each day. Yet despite powering a multibillion-dollar industry, drivers continue to face shrinking wages, sudden and unjust deactivations, unsafe working conditions, and a lack of meaningful recourse or representation. In a new economic study, more than 60% of Illinois rideshare drivers live in zip codes with incomes below the Illinois median, despite drivers generating $7.7 billion in annual economic output and contributing more than $518 million annually in combined state and local tax revenue. An investment in rideshare drivers is an investment in our communities and states. 

The Illinois Transportation Network Driver Labor Relations Act establishes a pathway for drivers to form a union and ensures that drivers get to choose the union that best represents them. The bill includes sectoral bargaining rights over:

(1) Compensation

(2) Benefits

(3) Insurance coverage for occupational accidents or injuries

(4) Compensation or supplemental insurance for job loss

(5) Paid leave

(6) Appeals process for deactivations 

(7) Representation of TNC drivers in deactivation appeals

(8) Grievance and arbitration procedures to resolve disputes arising under the sectoral agreement 

(9) Safety mandates 

Drivers in Illinois are not alone in this fight. In Massachusetts, app-based drivers organizing with the App Drivers Union, powered by IAM and 32BJ SEIU, won a historic victory in 2024 by passing Question 3, a statewide ballot initiative that secured collective bargaining rights for rideshare drivers. In California, the legislature passed a law in 2025 that gives drivers the right to form a union and bargain for fair pay, safe working conditions, and respect. These wins prove that when drivers organize and take their fight directly to the public, they can overcome corporate opposition and win real power on the job.

Rideshare drivers throughout Illinois weighed in on their everyday experiences on the road:

“The cost of driving has skyrocketed; I am paying $6 for a gallon of gas to do my job – meanwhile, I am being paid below minimum wage per hour. Half my pay goes towards gas,” said Uber Driver Mary Wright, Chicago. “We are being squeezed from every direction, and we cannot continue living like this. We are relying on our elected leaders to do the right thing and pass this bill so we can form a union and make lasting change in our industry. If they don’t, they’re actively choosing to leave 100,000 drivers behind.”

“These companies would not exist without us, yet we have no voice on the job,” said Uber driver Anthony Fisher, Champaign. “We are not asking for special treatment, but for the same fundamental rights that workers in other industries have so that we can fight and advocate for ourselves through a union.”

“We are scared to get behind the wheel and do this job, but it is the only way we can put food on the table and pay some of our bills. No worker should have to live like this, but right now, we have no way to raise our concerns,” said Uber driver Mary Martinez, Chicago. “We need a union, and we need it now. The longer our legislators wait, the longer our safety is at risk.”

“Legislators have a choice to make – stand with working people or stand with billion-dollar corporations like Uber and Lyft,” said Illinois Drivers Alliance Leader Genie Kastrup. “The Rideshare Drivers’ Union Bill costs the state absolutely nothing, yet with one vote, lawmakers have the power to change the lives of more than 100,000 rideshare drivers across Illinois by giving them the right to form a union and negotiate for fair wages, safety protections, and dignity on the job. If legislators truly value working families and the people who keep this state moving every single day, then they will do the right thing by voting YES on this bill.” 

“The Labor market has been experiencing a growing rate of technological advancement that has fundamentally altered the way that many people work within our state,” said Illinois Drivers Alliance Leader Ronnie Gonzalez. “While these advancements in technology have been enjoyed by the passengers, the workers are left behind with labor laws that do not recognize their changing working environment. These workers, known as transportation network drivers, often suffer from low pay, a lack of worker representation, and a lack of other benefits. Our proposed legislation will give these workers the rights that they deserve.”

Chief bill sponsors Senator Ram Villivalam, Senator Robert Peters, and Representative Yolanda Morris joined drivers at the rally and reaffirmed their support for the legislation.

“The struggle drivers are facing right now is so real, but it is not necessary. We would like the corporations making $43 billion dollars in profit to do the right thing, but because they won't on their own. So, we have to make them do the right thing,” said Illinois State Senator Ram Villivalam. “We are going to make them by passing legislation that gives workers a voice and the right to form a union to negotiate what they deserve!” 

“I have heard directly from countless drivers about the everyday realities they face – shrinking pay, rising expenses, safety concerns, and sudden deactivations with no recourse. We cannot continue to sit on our hands while working people are pushed further into crisis,” said Illinois State Senator Robert Peters. “This is a moment for leadership. We have the opportunity right now to change the lives of more than 100,000 rideshare drivers across Illinois and strengthen the communities that depend on them every day.” 

“I am proud to stand with rideshare drivers across Illinois in the fight for the Rideshare Drivers’ Union Bill,” said Co-Chief Sponsor Representative Yolanda Morris. “Every corner of Illinois depends on rideshare drivers to get people to work, school, doctor appointments, airports, and safely home at night. These drivers are our neighbors, constituents, and family members, and they’re facing shrinking pay, sudden deactivations without explanation, and decisions about their livelihoods made without ever having a seat at the table. That has to change, and it has to change now.”