Uber Union Expands to Kamloops and Kelowna

The Uber drivers’ union has expanded into the B.C. Interior, bringing more than 1,000 Kamloops and Kelowna-area drivers under the first collective agreement for app-based ride-hailing workers in Canada.

The workers unionized with United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1518, the same union that organized Victoria-area Uber drivers last year.

On Tuesday, they joined the existing four-year contract for the Greater Victoria drivers.

The expansion will entitle Interior drivers to quarterly bonuses, a $500 wellness fund and the ability to appeal customer ratings when their account is deactivated.

“I’m super excited,” said UFCW 1518 president Patrick Johnson. “Hopefully this continues to evolve what it means to be a platform worker, whether it’s at Uber or any gig-based company.”

Laura Miller, Uber Canada’s head of public policy and communications, said in an email the agreement protects drivers’ flexibility and provides new benefits to app-based workers.

“This expansion shows that the model is working as intended,” Miller said. “Government can set clear minimum standards, while workers, unions and platforms use collective bargaining to build on them.”

The expansion comes after the BC NDP updated labour laws for about 46,000 app-based ride-hailing and food delivery workers.

The changes, which came into effect in 2024, defined app-based gig workers under the existing B.C. labour laws and included a unique minimum wage and a per-kilometre allowance to help workers cover vehicle costs.

At the time, drivers said the new standards had glaring holes that meant they remained on the road for long hours for low pay. Last year, drivers told The Tyee they still spend significant amounts of time waiting for rides and managing restaurant delays with no pay.

B.C. Labour Minister Jennifer Whiteside committed to reviewing the legislation last year.

But the laws still left room for drivers to unionize and negotiate for better conditions. Last year, about 500 drivers in Greater Victoria became the first ride-hailing workers to unionize in Canada.

Their first collective agreement was ratified in April. By then, it covered 1,000 drivers in the Capital Regional District as defined by the Passenger Transportation Board — the provincial tribunal that regulates taxis, limousines, intercity buses and now ride-hailing app drivers. The region is often called “PTB Region Two.”

Johnson said UFCW 1518 has been trying for years to organize drivers in PTB Region Four, which stretches from the Cariboo to the East Kootenays. The drive accelerated when Victoria drivers got a first agreement.

“It really shows that what happened in Victoria and the leadership that the drivers took there meant something,” Johnson said. “Once we got that contract in Victoria, it really helped kind of motivate drivers to see what it was about and and move the needle to the final stage.”

Johnson said the expansion into the B.C. Interior was expedited by an accretion clause included in the collective agreement for Victoria Uber drivers.

The clause ultimately meant that once the majority of drivers in PTB Region Four signed membership cards, the union could expand the bargaining unit without going to the labour board.

The expansion will approximately double the size of the bargaining unit to more than 2,000 drivers. It will give drivers quarterly, trip-volume-based bonuses. Bonuses will range from $75 for drivers who complete between 150 and 250 trips during that time to $600 for drivers who complete more than 751.

The bonuses increase approximately two per cent per year for the length of the contract. The deal will also give drivers the ability to appeal bad ratings when they lose access to the app.