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Thousands of US ride-hailing workers plan to park their cars and picket at major U.S. airports Wednesday in what organizers say is their largest strike yet in a drive for better pay and benefits. Uber and Lyft drivers plan daylong strikes in Chicago; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Miami; Orlando and Tampa, Florida; Hartford, Connecticut; Newark, New Jersey; Austin, Texas; and Providence, Rhode Island. Drivers also plan to hold midday demonstrations at airports in those cities, according to Justice for App Workers, the group organizing the effort. Rachel Gumpert, a spokesperson for Justice for App Workers, said ride-hailing drivers in other cities may also demonstrate or strike for at least part of the day. Uber said Tuesday it doesn't expect the strike to have much impact on its operations on Valentine's Day. These types of events have rarely had any impact on trips, prices or driver availability, Uber said in a statement. That's because the vast majority of drivers are satisfied. Gump
Ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft will pay a combined USD 328 million to settle wage theft claims in New York, Attorney General Letitia James announced on Thursday. James said the settlements resolve investigations into the companies improperly charging drivers sales taxes and other fees when the costs should have been paid by customers. Uber will pay USD 290 million and Lyft will pay USD 38 million. The money will be distributed to current and former drivers, she said. The companies have also agreed to provide drivers outside of New York City with paid sick leave and give drivers outside of New York City a minimum wage of USD 26 per hour. Rideshare drivers work at all hours of the day and night to take people wherever they need to go, James said in a statement. For years, Uber and Lyft systemically cheated their drivers out of hundreds of millions of dollars in pay and benefits while they worked long hours in challenging conditions. Tony West, chief legal officer for Uber, said
Even before he joined Lyft's board in 2021, David Risher had taken hundreds of trips as a passenger so he felt like he knew a lot about the ride-hailing service. But he never expected to be thrust into the driver's seat at a time when Lyft was running like a jalopy. I really was gobsmacked, Risher said during an interview with The Associated Press as he recalled being recently asked to replace Lyft co-founder Logan Green as CEO. Risher quickly shook off his initial shock and is now making an effort to reverse the San Francisco company's mounting losses and sagging stock price. Just days after taking over as CEO, Risher came up with a restructuring plan that includes laying off nearly 1,100 employees whose job losses could help him attain stock price incentives potentially worth nearly USD 1 billion. Like any mass layoff, the payroll purge will uproot the lives of those suddenly out of a job while sowing uncertainty among Lyft's remaining 3,000 employees. But Risher believes the deep