Canada’s first unionized Uber workers want more pay transparency, chance to challenge bad ratings  

Uber drivers in B.C.’s capital have made history as the first app-based workers in Canada to join a union.

Gilberto Talero is among the Victoria-area Uber drivers who have joined the United Food and Commercial Workers Union – something he hopes will make his job safer, among other benefits.

“We need protection, we need to be able to be heard,” Talero said Thursday.

The Victoria drivers are the first Uber workers in Canada to unionize, as well as the first app-based employees in the country to do so.

“Welcome workers from one of the most rapidly growing sectors in our economy,” said union representative Pablo Godoy, during a news conference to announce the group’s certification Thursday.

The drivers say they want more pay transparency. Some say it’s become unclear how much their customers tip them, and that the rates they get paid fluctuate too much.

“I never made less than $60 to go to the airport, now sometimes they offer me an airport ride for $14,” said Uber driver Beatrice Nahirnick.

The certification follows regulatory protections introduced last year by the B.C. NDP government – protections that ensure WorkSafeBC coverage and a minimum wage for app-based workers.

The protections were partly motivated by attacks, including one on an Abbotsford driver in 2023.

The drivers say Uber’s ratings system makes them feel pressured to stick with a customer even if they feel unsafe, because bad ratings can hurt business and they want a mechanism to challenge or explain a bad rating.

“I’ve had dangerous situations where I’ve had to put up with a customer’s bad behaviour just because I’m also afraid of getting a bad rating,” said Talero Thursday.

Uber said prices won’t go up for customers, adding in a statement: “For riders in Victoria, there is no change to their experience. We remain committed to ensuring that Victoria residents and visitors have access to reliable, affordable, and safe ride-sharing services through the Uber platform going forward.”

The union and Uber are set to start negotiating a collective agreement this summer. Other app-based workers in the growing gig economy are expected to follow this lead.