Union files complaint alleging Uber engages in unfair labor practices

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A large BC union is taking the cases of three Uber drivers to the BC Labor Relations Board, alleging that the giant corporation is engaging in unfair labor practices.

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The local United Food and Commerce Workers Union 1518 said Thursday that the Lower Mainland drivers in question were fired after refusing to perform unsafe jobs. One of the drivers was reportedly fired in November 2020 and the other two in February and July this year.

The union, which represents more than 26,000 members in various sectors including community health, hospitality and retail, says in a press release that in one case a customer threatened to file a complaint against a driver and turned violent. after the driver asked him to wear a mask.

In that case, the driver called police, who had to remove the customer from the driver’s car, according to the union.

Another driver was fired after refusing to carry four passengers in his vehicle in violation of Uber’s COVID-19 safety regulations, the union says.

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After complaints were filed against them, drivers discovered that the Uber app had been disabled from their phones, meaning they could no longer receive passengers, it says.

Eva Prkachin, the union’s press secretary, said the union has long been fighting for Uber drivers to have the right to organize and join a union to improve their working conditions.

“So we’ve partnered with them over the past few years on a variety of initiatives, this being a pretty obvious example.”

Bhupinder Singh, one of the drivers who was fired, says in the press release that he bought a new car, borrowed money from a friend and planned to start studying for his future, but had his livelihood stolen.

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“It affected my mental health. I was one of the drivers with the highest star rating and completed over 2,000 trips and with two false and angry accusations from customers, Uber deactivated my account without proper investigation. “

The union says that if the board rules in their favor, drivers could be reinstated and compensated for unfair firings.

Uber said in a statement that they had just received a copy of the complaint and were reviewing it.

“We want every experience on the Uber platform to feel safe, respectful and positive, and we have developed our policies with this in mind,” an Uber spokesperson said in the statement.

The company said that, by way of background, “losing access to a driver or delivery account” didn’t happen very often.

“Often when it happens, we know it can be very stressful and frustrating. That’s why our case review process is human-driven. “

The company said the most common reasons a driver or delivery person could lose access to their account are an expired document or a problem with their background check.

“Others are generally due to safety concerns, fraud, discrimination by the driver or delivery person, or persistently low ratings from riders or Uber Eats users.”

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