Toronto truck drivers strike to earn $6.37 an hour: report

Your driver could be making $6.37 an hour, a fraction of Ontario's minimum wage, according to a new report that calls for legislative changes to stop gig workers from falling further into poverty.

A report by advocacy group Ridefair, titled “Legal Poverty,” says Toronto's failure to pay drivers the minimum wage is a huge boon for the app companies, which make $200 million a year in profits.

Drivers in Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver told CTV News they will go on strike on Valentine's Day, along with drivers working for Uber, Lyft and food delivery app Doordash in dozens of US states and European countries.

“People can't live in that situation,” said Erla Phillips, a driver and vice-president of the Rideshare Drivers Association of Ontario, who said the study gathered direct data using screenshots of drivers' inputs.

“How do you pay your bills with that kind of money?” You are,” Phillips said.

One major employer, Uber, rejected the figure and presented its own figures showing the high earnings of its drivers.

“Cherry picking 96 weeks of earnings reports from tens of millions of trips is poor methodology. Average earnings for the time spent in Toronto in November were $33.35, said spokeswoman Keertana Rang.

Ridefair's figure, $6.37 an hour, was the median, meaning half of drivers actually earned less and some lost money while on the job, said report author J. Jay Fuser with the Ridefair Coalition.

“Right now, Toronto drivers can and do make less,” he said.

Under Ontario labor law, employees are entitled to a minimum wage. However, drivers are classified as contractors and do not have the same protections.

That distinction is a work-in-progress where the app decides how drivers are paired with passengers, said Brice Sofer, a spokesman for Gig Workers United.

“I made $5.40 a two-hour shift. I can say from my own experience that we are in a crisis,” said Sofer.

According to the report's authors, their estimate is in line with others in California ($6.20 an hour), Seattle ($9.63 an hour) and Denver ($5.49 an hour).

Uber says Toronto drivers earn $33.35 an hour when they are passengers, but not when drivers log in and wait for work.

That's not a reasonable measure, Fuser said, because it doesn't accurately reflect the hours they work.

“That number sounds good. In fact, it sounds like about twice the provincial minimum wage. But it is not so. It leaves out important information,” he said.

Deputies are discussing this issue in the committee. The study's authors are urging the city to consider reinstating the limit on drivers, as fewer drivers could mean each driver gets more rides.

But applying legislation to classify drivers as employees would be a big change — a move already made in British Columbia, they said.

Another move this week is a strike by drivers in several Canadian cities, Phillips said.

Ontario's Ministry of Labor passed the Jobs for Workers Act in 2022, which when it comes into force will provide protections for hours worked, including minimum wages, council protections and dispute resolution.

“We recognize that the way we work has changed and that the future of work is already here. That's why our government is leading the way, Ontario is the first province in Canada to enact basic rights for gig workers who provide rides or deliver food to companies like Uber and DoorDash,” said a spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Labour.

Striking drivers will gather at Nathan Phillips Square on Wednesday. Crowds listen to speakers before walking through the city.

“Drivers from Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver have gone before,” said organizer Erla Phillips. “This is a worldwide global protest. We will go on strike.”