* Strikes expected in major U.S. cities
* Uber due to IPO on Friday
(Adds details from San Francisco)By Kate Holton and Jane Lanhee LeeLONDON/SAN FRANCISCO, May 8 (Reuters) - Uber drivers inLondon and major U.S. cities held a series of strikes onWednesday to protest the disparity between gig-economyconditions and the sums that investors are likely to make inFriday's blockbuster stock market debut.Protests were sparsely attended in London, New York andCalifornia, and rides appeared easily available in some citieswhere strikes were called.Drivers and regulators around the world have long criticizedthe business tactics of Uber Technologies Inc . Theexpected valuation of up to $90 billion in its initial publicoffering on Friday is proving to be the latest flashpoint. Unions in Britain said support for the strike was strong,with drivers staying at home and passengers using the#UberShutDown hashtag to pledge solidarity on social media. TheUber app indicated fares were higher in London during a rainymorning rush hour due to increased demand.
"Stand with these workers on strike today, across the UK andthe world," said Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Britain'sopposition Labour Party.A few dozen protesters gathered at a rally in London.Another dozen attended a protest at about 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT)near Wall Street in Manhattan. At Uber's headquarters in theborough of Queens in New York City, about 100 people gathered inthe morning, but their numbers dwindled to a few dozen or so at1 p.m., when a rally was scheduled. Uber has 3 million driversglobally.Around a hundred people attended a rally in San Francisco,Uber's home town. Driver and organizer Rebecca Stack-Martinezsaid that widespread media coverage made the strike a success,adding that organizing in the gig economy of part-time, contractlabor was difficult."There is no directory out there of who's driving, how manydrivers, how we can reach them," she said. "And so we have to bereally creative about how we get to drivers and get theminvolved in the movement."Many drivers work part time for the services and oftendivide their time between platforms, delivering food and goodsas well as giving rides.
The public calls for higher pay underscored that somedrivers want more from Chief Executive Officer DaraKhosrowshahi, who was hired to help move the company past aseries of scandals, improve driver relations and manage the IPO.Uber is paying more than a million drivers about $300million in one-time bonuses, for instance, and has changedpolicies such as allowing riders to tip. "Whether it's being able to track your earnings or strongerinsurance protections, we'll continue working to improve theexperience for and with drivers," the company said.
'BROKEN PROMISES'Uber has steadfastly, and mostly successfully, beaten backattempts to compel it to treat drivers as employees, arguingthat its main business is a platform that brings riders anddrivers together. And the money-losing company is under pressureto cut costs.Many drivers want better pay from Uber rival Lyft Inc as well.
Syed Ali, an Uber driver and member of the striking New YorkTaxi Workers Alliance, in a statement said, "They have grown andgrown and gotten richer and richer, but I haven't grown with thecompany. My condition as an Uber driver has gotten worse andworse."Uber and Lyft have cut back on incentives and bonuses inmore established markets to attract new drivers. They have alsodevised more complicated formulas for determining what riderspay and what drivers earn.Both companies recently slashed the per-mile rate fordrivers in Los Angeles and San Francisco, while increasing someother factors, such as per-minute rates. Some drivers estimateda loss of 10 percent to 20 percent in earnings.
The company and its critics are divided over how muchdrivers can make. Classified as independent contractors, theylack paid sick and vacation days and must cover their ownexpenses, such as car maintenance and gasoline.
U.S. representatives for Uber and Lyft did not respond torequests for comment Wednesday. Ahead of the actions, Lyft saidits hourly wages have risen over the last two years and averageover $20 per hour.
Uber noted that a recent study whose authors includedcurrent and former Uber employees showed driver gross earningsaveraged $21 an hour. But a study by left-leaning Washingtonthink tank Economic Policy Institute calculated that aftercosts, Uber drivers earned $9.21 an hour.<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Uber, Lyft to offer some drivers shares in stock market listing BREAKINGVIEWS-Lyft takes some gas out of Uber's IPO INSIGHT-As IPO looms, Uber clings to hard-knuckled tactics inpursuit of growth ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Reporting by Jane Lee in San Francisco and Kate Holton inLondon; Additional reporting by Heather Somerville andAlexandria Sage in San Francisco; Jonathan Allen, JoshuaFranklin, Shannon Stapleton and Eduardo Munoz in New York andScott Malone in Boston; Writing by Kate Holton and PeterHendersonEditing by Keith Weir, Jeffrey Benkoe and Lisa Shumaker)
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