Uber, Lyft drivers set to strike on Valentine's Day

Logos for ridesharing companies Uber and Lyft in downtown Los Angeles, California, October 24, 2018. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

(NewsNation) — Thousands of drivers for ride-share platforms Uber and Lyft, as well as food delivery app DoorDash, are planning to strike nationwide on Valentine’s Day after saying they’ve been experiencing declining pay as well as other problems.

Business Insider reports that drivers in about 20 cities, including Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Phoenix and Dallas, plan not to work Wednesday.

Uber and Lyft drivers previously told the publication that they’ve seen the service become less profitable for them than it used to be.

“Uber, Lyft, and delivery drivers are TIRED of being mistreated by the app companies. We’re sick of working 80 hours/week just to make ends meet, being constantly scared for our safety, and worrying about being deactivated with the click of a button,” Justice for App Workers, one of the groups involved in the protests, said on its website.

Drivers have also said platforms take disproportionately high amounts as commissions.

“A year into algorithmic pricing, drivers have seen incredible decrease of our pay … whatever calculations and algorithms they’re using, it’s absolutely useless,” Nicole Moore, president of the Rideshare Drivers United union, told Reuters in an interview.

Sergio Avedian, a part-time Uber driver and senior contributor to blog and YouTube channel The Rideshare Guy, told Business Insider that he made $21.50 per online hour before expenses in Los Angeles.

“Taking out my $6 per hour expenses, I might as well go flip burgers,” he said. “I can make $20 an hour without risk.”

Uber said in a statement that its “driver earnings remain strong,” pointing to an earnings call where CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said drivers make $33 per utilized hour.

In a statement to NewsNation, Lyft said it’s constantly working to improve the driver experience, touting a new “minimum earnings guarantee and an improved deactivation appeals process.”

“Drivers will always make at least 70% of the weekly rider fares after external fees,” a spokesperson said.

Reuters contributed to this story.