By — Leah Willingham, Associated Press Leah Willingham, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/uber-lyft-drivers-in-massachusetts-certify-first-statewide-ride-hailing-union Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Uber, Lyft drivers in Massachusetts certify first statewide ride-hailing union Nation May 26, 2026 5:42 PM EDT BOSTON (AP) — Drivers for ride-hailing apps such as Uber and Lyft celebrated Tuesday after Massachusetts became the first state to recognize their union, a milestone in the growing effort to organize gig-economy workers classified as independent contractors under federal labor law. The victory could provide a model for similar campaigns gaining traction in states including California and Illinois, where labor organizers are increasingly targeting app-based industries as drivers also grapple with the rapid expansion of self-driving technology. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. As drivers waved signs and chanted with the gold dome of the Massachusetts State House providing a backdrop, labor leaders described Friday's certification as the largest private-sector organizing win since Ford autoworkers unionized in 1941. Jean Fredo, who has driven for Uber for more than seven years, said he hopes the union will bring better pay, stronger protections against sudden deactivations and more stability for drivers. "With the union, it will not feel like we're working for nothing," he said in French through a translator. "Now the money will not only stay in the billionaire's pockets. The money will actually come to the workers who work very hard." Uber and Lyft said they planned to work with the new bargaining framework as negotiations move forward. Uber said it would work with the union and regulators while preserving "driver flexibility and