In an article published by China Daily, one driver complained that he had to hand over more than half of his fare receipts to the fleet company from which he rented his vehicle. “I get up before 6 a.m. every morning and sit for about 14 hours a day, only to get 2,000 yuan a month,” or about $325, said the man, Liu Xingyou. “That’s unbearable.” His income is $70 less than the national average.

Although taxi strikes in China are not new, the cascade of copycat protests around the country highlights the organizational power of social media, presenting a challenge to a government that has little tolerance for labor unrest.

According to China Labor Bulletin, a watchdog group based in Hong Kong, worker activism has surged over the past year, with 569 episodes counted in the final quarter of last year, or three times the number in the same period in 2013.

The group said the increase in protests and strikes by truck drivers, construction workers and miners was probably because of a slowing economy, but also because of the spread of inexpensive smartphones that have allowed organizers to spread the word about unpaid wages, broken contracts and other labor complaints.

Cabdrivers in China have long complained about low wages and long days, but the recent strikes appear to have also been fueled by the spread of ride-hailing apps like Uber and a flurry of news media attention to what many drivers say is unfair competition.