ABSTRACT
This chapter examines questions of class-consciousness as well as the organizing practices of Uber and Lyft drivers in the gig economy. Influenced by the work of E.P. Thompson, the essay looks at how working class drivers in the gig economy, come together to build power and change their conditions. There is a focus on how and when drivers fight back and how these moments of struggle begin to forge a shared sense of interest and identity. The essay also focuses on the organizing practices of Uber and Lyft drivers. Because the conditions of these workers is both precarious and isolated, particular attention is given to how they use online platforms (specifically Facebook and uberpeople.net) to connect and forge strategies for worker organizing. This research is based on ethnographic research in Philadelphia.
