Union files complaint alleging Uber engaging in unfair labour practices
A large B.C. union is taking Uber to the B.C. Labor Relations Board over allegations it fired a number of drivers for refusing unsafe work.
Author of the article: Keith Fraser
Publishing date:Oct 07, 2021 •
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A large B.C. union is taking the cases of three Uber drivers to the B.C. Labour Relations Board alleging that the giant corporation is engaging in unfair labour practices.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union local 1518 said Thursday that the Lower Mainland drivers in question were fired after refusing unsafe work. One of the drivers was allegedly terminated in November 2020 and the other two in February and July of this year.
The union, which represents more than 26,000 members in various sectors including community health, hospitality and retail, says in a news release that in one case a customer threatened to lodge a complaint against a driver and became violent after the driver asked her to wear a mask.
In that instance, the driver phoned police, who had to remove the customer from the driver’s car, according to the union.
Another driver was fired after refusing to take four passengers in his vehicle in violation of Uber’s COVID-19 safety regulations, says the union.
After complaints were made against them, the drivers discovered that the Uber app had been deactivated from their phones, meaning they were no longer able to get passengers, it says.
Eva Prkachin, press secretary for the union, said that the union has been fighting for a long time to get Uber drivers the right to organize and join a union in order to enhance their working conditions.
“So we’ve been partnering with them over the last couple of years on a variety of initiatives, this one being a pretty obvious example.”
Bhupinder Singh, one of the drivers who was fired, says in the news release that he bought a new car, borrowed money from a friend and planned to start studying for his future, but his livelihood was stolen from him.
“It affected my mental health. I was a top star rating driver and completed more than 2,000 trips and with two false and angry customer accusations, Uber deactivated my account without proper investigation.”
The union says that if the board rules in their favour, the drivers could be reinstated and compensated for the 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’ve developed our policies with this in mind,” an Uber spokesperson said in the statement.
The company said that by way of background, that “losing access to a driver or delivery account” didn’t happen very often.
“Often when it does, we know it can be very stressful and frustrating. That’s why our case review process is human-led.”
The company said the most common reasons why a driver or delivery person might lose access to their account are an expired document or an issue with their background check.
“Others are usually due to safety issues, fraud, discrimination by the driver or the delivery person, or persistently low ratings from riders or Uber Eats users.”
B.C.-based Uber drivers claim they were fired for refusing unsafe work
One of B.C.'s oldest and largest unions is supporting Uber drivers who claim they were fired for refusing unsafe work.
UFCW 1518, the United Food and Commercial Workers' International Union, is taking the cases of several Uber drivers to the BC Labour Relations Board. They've filed an unfair labour practice complaint against giant tech corporation Uber, according to a news release.
For the drivers who were fired the ride-hailing service was the primary source of income. They had also been working for the company for several months without any other incidents before being fired. In fact, one of the drivers had "1,000 five-star reviews on his account."
In one of the cases, an Uber driver said a customer threatened to lodge a complaint and became violent when the driver asked her to wear a mask. The driver phoned the police who had to remove the customer from the vehicle.
In another incident, a driver refused "to take four passengers in his vehicle as this violated Uber’s explicit COVID-19 safety regulations. The driver believes that the customer who ordered the trip retaliated against him by leaving a bad review and rating."
In addition to COVID-19 safety regulations, drivers reported having to deal with intoxicated customers who were "rude, demanding and insulting." When they asked the customers to tone down their behaviour, the riders said they would "lodge a formal complaint against the drivers."
Following these complaints, the drivers discovered that the Uber app was deactivated from their phones. The apps were deleted from drivers who otherwise had "strong driving records and high customer ratings and reviews."
When they attempted to reach Uber support, the drivers claim that the team did not follow up on requests.
“I bought a new car, borrowed money from my friend and planned to start studying for my future, but my livelihood was stolen from me,” explained driver Bhupinder Singh. “It affected my mental health. I was a top star rating driver and completed more than 2,000 trips and with two false and angry customer accusations, Uber deactivated my account without proper investigation.”
If the Labour Relations Board rules in favour of the UFCW 1518 complaint, the drivers could be reinstated and compensated for the unfair firings.
The union is also seeking changes to the Employment Standards Act to enable app-based contract workers like Uber drivers to join a union.
A spokesperson from Uber Canada told Vancouver Is Awesome that the company has just received the complaint and is reviewing it. “We want every experience on the Uber platform to feel safe, respectful, and positive and we’ve developed our policies with this in mind.”
Uber Canada adds that people don't lose access to driver or delivery accounts often. "When it does, we know it can be very stressful and frustrating. That’s why our case review process is human-led. While data and technology are useful tools for improving the safety of the Uber platform, people will always play a role in helping to ensure that drivers and delivery people are treated fairly.
"The most common reasons why a driver or delivery person might lose access to their account are an expired document or an issue with their background check. Others are usually due to safety issues, fraud, discrimination by the driver or delivery person, or persistently low ratings from riders or Uber Eats users."
UFCW Local 1518 represents more than 26,000 union members working in the community health, hospitality, retail, grocery, industrial, and professional sectors across British Columbia.
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