Uber weekend-long strike begins

Some Uber drivers may be taking a break this weekend to support the Uber Freedom strike that started in Kansas City.

Detroit drivers say they will participate in the strike starting at 5 p.m. today and ending at 10 p.m. on Sunday. A video posted by Uber Freedom has spread like wildfire, encouraging drivers to participate in hopes their demands will be met. The video currently has 305,000 views and their GoFundMe has reached over $1,000 in donations.

The Uber driver in the video demands putting a tip option on the app, letting the driver see where the passenger is going before accepting the trip, raising the fare of UberX to $1.60 per mile, and demanding respect as independent contractors. He even encourages others to create fake rider accounts and request a driver and then cancel the fares so that any driver not on strike will have wasted their time.

This isn’t the first Uber strike. Just last week the Dallas saw the “UberBlack-out," in which drivers protested a new policy enforcing UberBlack drivers to pick up less expensive UberX fares.

Uber representatives indicate they aren't worried, however. “We always welcome feedback from driver-partners. Each week, tens of thousands of drivers across the U.S. begin using the Uber app to make money on their own time, to reach their own goals,” says an Uber spokesperson. “Drivers say they value the flexibility and the chance to be their own boss, and choose Uber over other options because it fits around their life and works for them.”