Last month, Justice for App Workers joined app workers, families, and allies at Flushing Meadows Corona Park to honor rideshare and delivery workers who lost their lives on the job.

The App Workers Memorial was a powerful reminder that behind every ride and every delivery is a worker, a family, and a life that deserves protection.

Now, as companies like Waymo push to expand driverless cars, New York app workers are once again sounding the alarm. Driverless vehicles threaten jobs, raise serious safety concerns, and create new questions about accountability when something goes wrong.

Recent reporting shows why New York must be cautious. In San Francisco, Waymo vehicles were stranded in traffic and had to be towed after their batteries drained. In Atlanta, a crash involving a Waymo led to a fire. Other reports have questioned whether robotaxis are actually safer than New York’s professional drivers, and found that the safety case for robotaxis does not hold up in New York City.

New York has already shown what is possible when workers speak out. Earlier this year, the state pulled back its plan to expand driverless vehicles outside New York City after app workers raised concerns about lost jobs, unsafe streets, congestion, and the lack of accountability around autonomous vehicles.

That was a major win, but the fight is not over.

Waymo is still being tested in New York City, and driverless cars continue to appear in cities across the country. Workers and communities should not be used as testing grounds for technology that could eliminate jobs and put public safety at risk.

Justice for App Workers is calling for:

• A ban on Waymo and other driverless cars in New York to protect our communities
• Stronger safety protections for rideshare and delivery workers
• Real accountability from app companies
• Protections for driver jobs and income
• Union rights for app workers

No worker should lose their life trying to make a living. No worker should be replaced by automation without a voice. And no community should be used as a testing ground for billion-dollar tech companies.

We built this industry. We keep New York moving. And we will continue fighting for safe streets, better working conditions, and a future where workers come first.