Photo via @endsanctions/Twitter
September 21, 2021, 11:31 am
A viral video of an older white gentleman animatedly rapping along to a tune while working as a Lyft driver spread on Twitter after being posted by the passenger, who claimed it would be the “last time i ever get in a lyft dawg.” Thankfully, there doesn’t appear to be anything offensive about it, and the anti-Lyft message appeared to be a joke as the passenger and the rest of Twitter resoundingly enjoyed the driver’s hand gestures and general enthusiasm while singing along to King Von’s “Took Her To The O.”
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The video by itself provided many Twitter users with a brief bit of joy, but the story was extended when Lyft contacted the passenger who posted it trying to get them to reveal the identity of the driver allegedly for a potential promotional campaign for the company.
Services like Lyft and Uber have been known to contact customers who complain about drivers on social media in order to address the problem and have at times been publicly rebuked by users who refuse to “snitch” on underpaid workers having a bad day. In this case, the passenger was wary of giving the driver’s information to Lyft, not only out of fear that he might be punished but because of a long list of grievances against the company that were laid out in the Twitter user’s response to the request.
“We saw your tweet and were curious if you could share more about this driver/ride with us?” the Lyft social media team wrote. “We’re cooking up a marketing idea we think he might be perfect for and would love to get in touch.”
Twitter user @endsanctions responded with a photo of a man with a skeptical expression and a message dragging them to the point that they were blocked by Lyft in response.
“[S]orry i’m not a snitch lmao especially for Silicon Valley gig app companies that rely on — and profit from — the labor of predominantly Black and brown workers while pretending to fight racial discrimination all while simultaneously pumping millions into supporting Prop22 in California which would exclude app-based transportation services & delivery companies from a law that requires lyft and companies like it to classify drivers as employees which then would necessitate offering benefits like healthcare, paid time off, and unemployment insurance, all of which you are actively fighting against.”
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After this extensive word-lashing, Lyft had no response except to hit that block button, setting up the Twitter user’s final punchline.
Lyft did indeed support Proposition 22 in California in 2020, which absolutely granted them an exemption from classifying their workers as actual employees granted access to all those rights workers fought and died for, instead getting to call the people who make their company work “freelancers.” The proposition unfortunately passed and has now spawned similar efforts in other U.S. states where their workers routinely complain that their pay is barely enough to cover their vehicle expenses, let alone live on.
The good news is that last month, a judge ruled Prop 22 unconstitutional, but the organization behind the legislation has promised to appeal. In the meantime, pretty much everyone hates Lyft even if they sometimes have to rely on it to get anywhere in a country where public transportation is often a joke.
had to do it for all the folks who couldn’t bc they’d be fired by their bosses
— people’s war till people’s peace! (@endsanctions) September 20, 2021
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mf came in there talking abt “we been cooking a marketing deal for him
”
— people’s war till people’s peace! (@endsanctions) September 20, 2021
*First Published: September 21, 2021, 11:31 am
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