IRIS drivers rallied outside of zTrip headquarters today to demand the right to unionize. The rideshare drivers want access to higher pay, benefits and the ability to reject rides without being penalized.
Last year, the Kansas City Council contracted with zTrip, a taxi service based in the area, to begin its on-demand, city-subsidized car service IRIS. zTrip maintains control of the IRIS platform and operations, sets workers' hours and pay, and garnishes workers’ paychecks to cover lease fees, car washes, a tablet to accept rides and internet for that tablet. Drivers also must pay for their own gas and insurance.
Darian Hall, an IRIS driver and organizing committee member, said he’s been donating plasma because he doesn’t make enough money despite driving more than 60 hours a week for zTrip. When he’s not working, Hall said he sleeps.
“I remember one day when my eyes were so tired the colors in the tablet looked like they were changing,” Hall said. “Being overworked to the point of exhaustion is a safety hazard for me and the riders I'm responsible for.”
zTrip is the largest taxi fleet operator in the U.S., with drivers in 26 cities. Under its contract with Kansas City, the company is supposed to allow employees a pathway to unionize under a labor neutrality clause. Drivers say the company is violating that contract by misclassifying them as independent contractors.
The National Labor Relations Act, which grants employees the right to organize, does not apply to independent contractors. They allege that they act as employees, even though they are not documented as such, and that zTrip needs to change their classification.
Bill George, the CEO of zTrip, and Terry O’Toole, the company’s general manager, came to the rally to yell at participants. He called the demonstration “a charade.”
George said drivers make an average of $29 an hour — more than $1,100 for a 40-hour week — after zTrip’s fees. Bakar Mohamed, who’s been driving for IRIS for about a year and is on the organizing committee, said he drives about 65 hours a week for zTrip and, after fees, only makes about $700 per week. He says he’s in debt because of zTrip.
“For too long, we've been struggling in silence,” Mohamed said. “We've been suffering alone. And we're coming together to form our union and better the lives of our children and the community.”
IRIS drivers who spoke at the rally want the company to do more to keep them safe. Drivers are currently penalized for declining rides, which Hall says puts them in risky situations.
A zTrip driver was shot and critically injured last month during a robbery. Hall said that could happen to any driver because they don’t have the time or money to reject riders.
George interrupted the rally to ask if anyone wanted to hear him speak, to which he was met with boos and chants of “Bill George, you can’t hide, we can see your greedy side.”
Councilmembers Eric Bunch and Ryana Parks-Shaw, Stand Up KC, the Missouri Workers Center, community religious leaders and representatives from multiple area unions joined the drivers.
Bunch and Parks-Shaw pledged their full support to the union drive. Bunch later told KCUR that he and some IRIS drivers attempted to meet with George last week, but George said he was out of town.
The two met Wednesday, where Bunch said George tried to explain why unionization was unnecessary, but Bunch felt he did not bring enough evidence.
At the rally, George called Bunch a “shill for the union.” Bunch reminded George that city council is in charge of zTrip’s contract for IRIS, and can allocate IRIS funding on an annual basis.
After today, Bunch said he would encourage his fellow council members to reevaluate zTrip.
“We have a major budget shortfall in our transit system, and we have a visibly hostile owner and manager of this who’s unwilling to come to the table,” Bunch said. “That is unacceptable behavior from someone who is a contractor for the (city transportation authority) and by extension the city.”
George said he was willing to recognize the union, but that it’s the city’s responsibility. He also said drivers already get benefits and speculated that a majority of IRIS drivers don’t want to be in a union.
“If they want to change the terms of the contract, that’s up to the city to change the terms,” George said. “If Eric Bunch wants to go ahead and say we should raise wages and all these things, then let him go find the money at city hall to do it.”
Mohamed said drivers like him are essentially paying to work. He wants to unionize so he can afford to take time off to spend with his family.
“Any time a company gets public funds, the public should make sure that the workers are treated right, are paid right, that working conditions are safe,” Mohammed said. “This money is the city's money, our taxes are funding this program.”
