{"id":694,"date":"2026-06-28T04:08:47","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T04:08:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=694"},"modified":"2026-06-28T04:08:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T04:08:47","slug":"mexican-gig-workers-are-fighting-to-close-a-loophole-in-their-worker-status-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=694","title":{"rendered":"Mexican Gig Workers Are Fighting to Close a Loophole in Their Worker Status Win"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Read more Protests Over Kushner-Backed Development Threaten to Topple Albanian Government<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Chanting, \u201cWe are not partners, we are workers,\u201d hundreds of workers across Mexico who provide rides and deliveries through apps held a two-hour work stoppage on May 15 demanding fair rates, an end to unjustified deactivations, and ultimately, a collective labor agreement with app giants like Uber, Didi, and Rappi (two Uber Eats-style delivery platforms).<\/p>\n

The National App Workers Union (la Union Nacional de Trabajadores por Aplicaci\u00f3n, UNTA) said the work stoppage included workers in five states and Mexico City. They were joined by app workers in at least 15 countries who held similar stoppages during peak hours.<\/p>\n

President Claudia Sheinbaum advanced a landmark federal labor law reform in 2024 recognizing Mexico\u2019s 1.2 million app-based workers as employees \u2014 granting them access to social security, profit-sharing, and federal housing credits. But the bar to access these benefits remains too high, workers say: only 10 percent of app workers earn enough to be eligible.<\/p>\n

Luis Fernando Mora Reyes, an app worker for seven years and the union\u2019s Secretary of Training and Culture, said he took inspiration from the Flint Sit-Down Strike at General Motors in 1936-7, a landmark in the organizing of auto workers in the U.S.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting off your motorcycle or [out of your] car, and sitting on the sidewalk with a group of workers while you\u2019re discussing, talking, exchanging ideas about the union,\u201d he said, \u201cit reminded me a lot about these images of strikers within the plants at Flint.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mora Reyes shuttles pizzas, groceries, and meal orders on his trusty bike. In an average week, he bikes between 15 and 40 miles: \u201cIt depends on my knees,\u201d he said. Even then, Mora Reyes said, he\u2019s one of the lucky ones who can do this work part time as his second source of income. He thinks of his older colleagues who work full time, \u201cwho can\u2019t afford a motorcycle, let alone a car, and I see how they suffer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Impossible Bar<\/h2>\n

In order to qualify for benefits under the new labor law, workers who make deliveries using a car must make about 19,000 pesos per month (approximately $1,105 USD), which is double Mexico\u2019s minimum wage. What\u2019s more, not all of their earnings are counted towards this salary floor: 48 percent are excluded to account for costs like gasoline and maintenance.<\/p>\n

This carveout \u201cis a mutilation of our rights,\u201d said Shaira Gardu\u00f1o Tovar, Secretary of Gender Equity for the union. Motorcycle drivers like her need to make approximately 14,000 pesos per month to qualify; currently, she makes between 7,000 and 8,000 per month. \u201cI\u2019d need to work from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Imagine spending 12 hours [straight] on a motorcycle \u2014 the strain on the body that that entails.\u201d<\/p>\n

The app giants and pro-employer groups lobbied for the carveout to minimize the contributions they would be required to make into the Mexican Social Security Institute system, said Sergio Guerrero, General Secretary of the UNTA, in 2025. \u201cWe at UNTA have always opposed these percentages. The position of these companies was the one that was taken into account.\u201d<\/p>\n

Water, Tacos, and Oil<\/h2>\n

Since the union\u2019s founding in November 2020, UNTA members have worked to build relationships with other app drivers across the country.<\/p>\n

Their efforts are complicated by the extensive reach of company unions. An estimated 90 percent of collective bargaining agreements in the nation are pro-employer \u201cprotection\u201d contracts that lock in low wages and stave off actual union representation.<\/p>\n

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Building relationships with these workers \u2014 and making the case for a very different sort of unionism \u2014 can\u2019t be rushed. At the heart of it is \u201cletting them see that we\u2019re not sent by the government, we\u2019re not delinquents, just everyday workers,\u201d said Mora Reyes. \u201cThey see we\u2019re not offering money, but instead promising our loyalty, our work, and our commitment. Those who stay, stay for the right reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n

One approach that has helped: the union puts on \u201csolidarity stands\u201d in areas where app workers tend to congregate: \u201cWe offer them a bit of water; if possible, a bit of food, maybe a taco or a slice of pizza,\u201d said Pedro Guerra, who has worked on the apps for eight years. \u201cWhere we can afford it, we\u2019ve been able to give them oil for their motorcycles, perform minor maintenance like lubricating their chains, things we know represent an extra cost out of drivers\u2019 pockets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Orange Zones<\/h2>\n

The union has also established a handful of \u201corange zones\u201d where drivers can go if they\u2019re experiencing a safety issue, or just need a place to use the restroom. The zones have no formal government backing or financial support; UNTA simply works to get local business on board. \u201cIt\u2019s a web of solidarity that we\u2019re building,\u201d said Mora Reyes.<\/p>\n

There are also group chats where drivers can check in if they feel unsafe, said Luis Fernando Higuera Rivera, head of the union\u2019s organizing committee in Mexicali. \u201cIf a client [is harassing] a driver, she can place an alert in our group.\u201d Any drivers who are in the area then approach to de-escalate the situation if needed.<\/p>\n

But despite every effort to mitigate the risks, the work remains grueling. \u201cDay after day, we face accidents,\u201d said Gardu\u00f1o Tovar. \u201cWe face the risk of being assaulted.\u201d That fear is especially present for workers who deliver on a bike or motorcycle: \u201cIf you have an accident, your car covers you. But for us on the bikes, the first thing that goes flying is our bodies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Weather conditions raise the stakes. \u201cEven when the roads are dry it\u2019s risky, because any tiny thing on the pavement, a bit of oil or sand can cause you to skid when you brake,\u201d she said. \u201cJust imagine when it\u2019s raining.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many workers, particularly those on bikes and motorcycles, try to avoid driving in the rain, despite the financial hit: \u201cIt\u2019s not worth risking my life for 30 pesos,\u201d Guerra said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI Have Three Bosses\u201d<\/h2>\n

The apps offer the promise of being your own boss. But for Mora Reyes, that couldn\u2019t be further from the truth. \u201cI have three bosses,\u201d he said. \u201cThe government, the app, and the client. I\u2019m accountable to all three. If I do something the app doesn\u2019t like, they deactivate me. If I do something the customer doesn\u2019t like, they deactivate me. If I do something the government [doesn\u2019t like], I\u2019m detained. We\u2019re everything but our own bosses.\u201d<\/p>\n

While app workers may not be their own bosses, they can still run their own unions. One tactic to foster member leadership: UNTA\u2019s digital courses on organizing tactics, economics, and writing skills. The classes are open not just to UNTA members, Guerra said, but to any app worker who\u2019s interested, and to members of other unions: \u201cWe\u2019ve had electricians and people from the water department attend too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Guerra has led the writing courses himself. The first two sessions focus on writing fundamentals like sentence structure and tenses. The last two address logical fallacies and how to structure arguments. He gives students assignments to make sure the material is landing, he said, \u201cbut the real impact is felt in the daily life of the organization. One of the aims is to decentralize skills, in order to decentralize power. The more skills our members have, the more prepared they are when they hold union office.\u201d<\/p>\n

The app giants won\u2019t stand by idly as Mexican workers enforce their labor rights. But there is plenty of fertile ground for organizing. \u201cI was always sure there would be a reform. I never doubted it,\u201d said Gardu\u00f1o Tovar. \u201cThe platforms arrived in Mexico nearly 13 years ago. It took nearly 10 years to win that reform. Maybe it will take us another 10 years, but we\u2019re going to eliminate that [carveout]. We can win this.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The National App Workers Union is using creative tactics to build worker power and confront their employers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":693,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nMexican Gig Workers Are Fighting to Close a Loophole in Their Worker Status Win - Smart Moving Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=694\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mexican Gig Workers Are Fighting to Close a Loophole in Their Worker Status Win - Smart Moving Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The National App Workers Union is using creative tactics to build worker power and confront their employers.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=694\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Smart Moving Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-28T04:08:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=694#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=694\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ec0d70042821fd684a174c8d0e8becfa\"},\"headline\":\"Mexican Gig Workers Are Fighting to Close a Loophole in Their Worker Status Win\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-28T04:08:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=694\"},\"wordCount\":1377,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=694#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/f69982b922f3a8aa61918f3d3721fe6f.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=694#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=694\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=694\",\"name\":\"Mexican Gig Workers Are Fighting to Close a Loophole in Their Worker Status Win - 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