Connecticut ride-sharing drivers urging one-day work stoppage

A sign marks a pick up point for the Uber car service at LaGuardia Airport in New York. A sign marks a pick up point for the Uber car service at LaGuardia Airport in New York. Photo: Seth Wenig / Associated Press File Photo: Seth Wenig / Associated Press File Image 1 of / 47 Caption Close Connecticut ride-sharing drivers urging one-day work stoppage 1 / 47 Back to Gallery

NEW HAVEN — Some Connecticut drivers for two of the nation’s largest ride-sharing services — Uber and Lyft — are planning to not work Friday to protest a reduction in what they get paid by at least one of the companies.

Organizers of the protest are hoping to get as many as 500 drivers to take off Friday as part of their protest, said Carlos Gomez, one of the organizers of the work stoppage. Speaking mostly through an interpreter, Gomez said he and others are trying to get drivers from Stamford, New Haven and Hartford areas to join in the protest, as well as anyone working for the ride-sharing services who regularly serves Bradley International Airport.

About a dozen of the drivers met in a Long Wharf parking lot to discuss their plight.

Until recently, Uber drivers had been getting paid 85 cents per mile for transporting passengers, said Casimiro Morales, a driver who lives in New Haven. The company has now lowered its rate to 65 cents per mile.

“The customer is still paying the same rate, but we’re not getting the same amount,” Morales said. “When they (Uber) first started here, we were getting paid a lot more.”

Officials from Uber and Lyft were not immediately available for comment Tuesday.

Both ride-sharing services began operating in Connecticut about four years ago. It was not clear what the drivers’ issues were with Lyft.

Gomez said the drivers are hoping to unionize and have reached out to Connecticut-based leaders of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Because get paid on a per-mile basis, they make more money when they take passengers longer distances, including to Boston and New York City. But when taking passengers to out-of-state locations, drivers are not allowed to try to pick up Uber users who may be headed to Connecticut.

“I have to come back home with an empty car, so I’m not getting paid for my time and mileage,” said Rosane Olin, a driver from New Haven. “It’s not fair.”

Olin said the ride-sharing service services also don’t have fair reimbursement rates for drivers when food spills or someone vomits in their vehicles.

“Somebody spilled some sauce in my car and I spent $100 getting it cleaned,” she said. “They only gave $40 back for that. What happens to the other $60?”

Ride-sharing service drivers basically work when they want, and for how long they want, and all work is taken on a voluntary basis.

Guillermo Estrella of Branford said he worked 14 hours on one day recently and only made $100, $30 of which went toward gasoline.

“We have to make a living,” Estrella said. “It’s insane what we’re getting paid.”

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com