Illinois rideshare drivers rally for unionization bill
[January 22, 2026]
By Jenna Schweikert
SPRINGFIELD — Rideshare drivers rallied at the Illinois State Capitol
Wednesday to ask legislators to support their effort to unionize.
The legislation, which had not been filed as of Wednesday afternoon,
would grant rideshare drivers the right to unionize and to collectively
bargain with transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft through
that union.
Rideshare drivers in Illinois have pushed for unionization rights for
years, beginning in the city of Chicago in early 2019.
In June 2025 the Illinois Drivers Alliance, a coalition of thousands of
Illinois rideshare drivers, announced their intention to work with
legislators to file legislation.
“The eight-hour workday, the overtime pay, the health care, the safety
on the job, all of it came from the right to organize,” Rep. Yolonda
Morris, a Chicago Democrat who plans to sponsor the bill, said at the
rally Wednesday. “Today, we are here for Uber drivers.”
The Illinois Drivers Alliance led the effort, which is backed by the
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 70
and Service Employees International Union Local 1, two unions
representing thousands of workers across the Midwest.
“Rideshare drivers like those gathered here today, they keep our
communities connected every single day,” Genie Kastrup, president of
SEIU Local 1, said at the rally. “They work long, hard hours, often at
great personal risk, to keep all of Illinois moving. And yet, despite
doing this essential work, rideshare drivers have been denied the same
rights as other workers in our state.”
Drivers currently lack the right to unionize under federal labor law
because they are classified as independent contractors. The proposal
would not change that classification but would give rideshare drivers
the right to unionize in Illinois despite their contractor status.
“Let’s be honest, we don’t operate independently at all. We don’t set
our own wages. We don’t control the rules. We don’t decide who is
deactivated and how they’re punished. The algorithm, the corporations
do,” Brett Currin, a rideshare driver, said. “The drivers are left
powerless in Illinois.”
Ongoing lobbying effort
In May 2025, drivers gathered in Springfield to ask lawmakers to support
unionization legislation.
Later that year, the Illinois Drivers Alliance announced that Uber
agreed not to oppose bargaining rights in Illinois, after “years of
grassroots pressure,” the alliance wrote.
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Rep. Yolonda Morris speaks at a rally with rideshare drivers in the
Illinois State Capitol on Jan. 21, 2026. Drivers and lobbyists met
with legislators to ask for support on a bill that would give
rideshare drivers the right to unionize. (Capitol News Illinois
photo by Jenna Schweikert)
The Chicago Tribune reported on the “labor peace deal” last June,
quoting an Uber spokesperson who said: “We are committed to working to
advance thoughtful, balanced policy that reflects the needs of today’s
workers and supports innovation in the economy.”
Capitol News Illinois reached out to Uber late Wednesday and will update
this story if a reply is received.
“Today is historic, because today we introduced not only the right and
the legislation that gives you the pathway to the union, but a pathway
to a contract,” Kastrup said. “Our legislation has one simple idea:
Rideshare drivers deserve the same right to organize as every other
worker in this state. After all, Illinois is a union state.”
Supporters said the forthcoming bill would not only create a process for
drivers to form a union and select a representative, but also form
procedures for bargaining, mediation, arbitration and unfair labor
practices, provide protection against company unions and build
representation and education fees.
Similar legislation is already on the books in Massachusetts and
California.
Through collective bargaining, drivers can also push for greater
transparency around rideshare pricing and wage algorithms, the Illinois
Drivers Alliance said.
“Drivers are paid less each year, while corporations are profiting more
… We absorb the cost, the gas, insurance, maintenance and repairs, while
companies avoid responsibilities,” Currin said. “When drivers speak up,
they can deactivate you without warning, without explanation, without
due process.”
A 2025 report shows rideshare prices increased 7% from 2023 to 2025
while Uber and Lyft driver wages decreased between 3% and 5%, according
to firm Gridwise Analytics.
“This is why we are here today, because Illinois must lead. We are
demanding a legal pathway to unionize so we can negotiate,” Currin said.
“Union rights are not radical. They are American. Illinois has always
been a labor leader, from factory floors to airports to service jobs,
union has built middle class in this state.”
Capitol News Illinois is
a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government
coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily
by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. |
