California rideshare union clears hurdle toward becoming second to represent US drivers
After signing up 10% of drivers, the union must pursue 30% to trigger an election to represent that state's 800,000 eligible gig workers.
By Eliezer Sherman
A California rideshare drivers union has cleared a major hurdle by signing up 10% of eligible drivers, moving closer to becoming the nation’s second gig workers union, the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) announced this month.
The California Gig Workers Union managed to sign up more than 10% of active drivers by June 2, the board announced in a letter.
Following the 10% threshold, rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft were required to provide the union with a list of all eligible drivers.
If the union manages to sign up 30% of drivers, the state will oversee an election in which drivers can vote to select the union to represent the 800,000 gig workers in the state.
After reaching the 10% threshold and, the CGWU launched an extensive campaign targeting the list of eligible drivers that included texts, emails, and phone calls.
In Southern California, the group sent representatives to meet with drivers at Los Angeles International Airport, hosted barbecues, and touted newly installed bathrooms at LAX in its efforts to increase membership.
To sign up, drivers needed to provide their personal information and digitally sign a union card.
The California union has made increasing wages and confronting “unfair deactivations,” in which driver accounts are permanently banned—often over alleged rider complaints—at the forefront of its campaign. Eligible members must have completed 461 rides between October 2025 and March 2026.
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Unionization efforts came after Governor Gavin Newsom enacted AB 1340 in November last year.
The push to unionize gig workers in California comes on the heels of a successful unionization effort in Massachusetts. There, the App-Based Driver's Union in late May became the first union nationwide to represent some 70,000 rideshare drivers in the state.
Union critics have warned that unionization could increase the price of rides for consumers, restrict new drivers from joining the apps, and force companies to impose rules on drivers, such as scheduled driving times.
A representative for the CGWU said it did not have a timeline for signing up 30% of drivers or for elections.
Some drivers have expressed concern that rideshare companies would find ways to work around union drivers.