This airport in Nashville, Tennessee, does not want Uber and Lyft drivers anywhere within the airport grounds. Rideshare drivers have recently enraged airport officials, who don’t want them providing services for travelers.
‘Where is the freedom?'
Where is the freedom… where is the love? Over 30 Lyft and Uber drivers are now prohibited from bringing and picking up passengers at Nashville International Airport. This was the airport official’s answer to the February 14th caravan protest that supported the state legislation designed to also protect ride-hailing drivers in Tennessee. The protest was Tennessee Drivers Union-led and threw shade over poor working conditions, as well as unfair competition, at the airport.
The state legislation being issued is Tennessee House Bill 879, alongside its Senate counterpart, the SB 818, which proposes that rideshare drivers in the state must obtain a transportation network license to operate, which is questionable because only residents with a state driver’s license are qualified.
Tennessee House Bill 879 seeks to level the playing field for local drivers who are currently unable to work across state lines, such as several of their out-of-state counterparts in Tennessee.
Following this controversial protest, Uber and Lyft notified 34 of their drivers that they were banned from taking passengers at the Nashville International Airport, as the airport officials had ordered.
The airport claimed that the drivers violated its Protected Speech Policy by protesting and disrupting traffic flow without a permit.
Of course, the affected drivers contested this, such as Mo McClain, an Uber driver for nine years, who stated that they could not be banned because of the protest with no permit because traffic only stalled when airport personnel approached the caravan.
Additionally, McClain insisted most participants had already logged off the app during the protest and were not working actively, raising concerns about how companies tracked and identified them.
The airport then stood firm in its claim that only five drivers are banned permanently with another 30 receiving temporary suspensions. But still, the protesters claimed they received no communication from airport officials who just banned them from protesting. The Uber driver suggested that partially reinstating some drivers is a deliberate union-busting tactic designed to create division and discourage future activism.
Unlike New York
Last March 19th, the protest group submitted a letter of appeal to the Metro Nashville Airport Authority. The letter was backed by a wide coalition of labor unions and worldwide worker organizers, including India’s Federation of App-Based Workers and the Amazon Labor Union. The letter criticized the airport’s actions and decisions.
McClain also stated that their protest was to request a wide range of demands, including better parking facilities and cleaner restroom amenities.
According to the media, the protest also highlighted deeper concerns about the lack of protections for gig workers in Tennessee, unlike what they are getting in New York and California. So, what happened, the ban, was a double-whammy for these drivers also since some rideshare drivers also serve as tour guides for arriving tourists in Nashville who help them get around and find where to eat and whatnot. Yet, these drivers feel they are undervalued.
No regrets
The ban has already greatly affected the drivers. Since the ban, the Uber drivers said his income went down from $2,000 per week to just $500. They are now struggling to pay rent and make weekly payments on her Uber vehicle. Some had to take second jobs.
McClain believes all things will come to fruition. She doesn’t regret protesting.
She asked, “You don’t know how to break that cycle. Where is the freedom in this gig economy?”