Toronto Uber Drivers Join Union

In an attempt to collectively bargain with their employer, Uber drivers in Canada have joined one of the country’s largest union groups.

1 minute read

July 5, 2019, 11:00 AM PDT

By Casey Brazeal @northandclark


Uber Driver

Alexander Torrenegra / Wikimedia Commons

According to United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) officials, more than a hundred Uber drivers have signed union cards to join the 250,000 member trade union. "Drivers are fed up with the low pay, long hours, and lack of basic worker protections that shlepping strangers around entails," Bryan Menegus writes in Gizmodo. UFCW held a press conference last week announcing their intention to bargain with Uber and to encourage other drivers to join them.

Uber has yet to respond to the call to recognize the union. The company classifies its workers as independent contractors in Canada (and the United States as well) and they are unlikely to give up on that classification voluntarily. How Uber and Toronto handle this case is likely to have impact throughout the country.

Wednesday, June 26, 2019 in Gizmodo

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

5 hours ago - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

Brutalist grey department of housing and urban development building in Washington DC.

How Trump's HUD Budget Proposal Would Harm Homelessness Response

Experts say the change to the HUD budget would make it more difficult to identify people who are homeless and connect them with services, and to prevent homelessness.

3 hours ago - Shelterforce Magazine

Lancaster Boulevard with tree-lined median and wide sidewalks in Lancaster, California.

The Vast Potential of the Right-of-Way

One writer argues that the space between two building faces is the most important element of the built environment.

4 hours ago - Streetsblog USA

Sign in front of building for seior services center in St. Petersburg, Fl.

Florida Seniors Face Rising Homelessness Risk

High housing costs are pushing more seniors, many of them on a fixed income, into homelessness.

6 hours ago - WESH