IDG is here to advocate for you and get you driving again.

For drivers, deactivation from the Uber or Lyft apps is a devastating and often undeserved punishment that cripples their ability to make a living. Passengers may lodge false complaints, there may be miscommunication between drivers and riders, or drivers may simply need feedback to improve. Regardless of the situation, due process is essential to a fair and equitable workplace for drivers.

That’s why the Independent Drivers Guild advocated fiercely on behalf of drivers and became the first labor organization in the nation with a fair, worker-led and union-negotiated process for reinstating drivers after they have been deactivated. The power to do this came from our tens of thousands of members organizing in the streets, in parking lots, and at committee meetings.

What is Deactivation Representation?

With Deactivation Representation, drivers have the opportunity to share their side of the story, to fight back against misinformation, and to get their jobs and their livelihoods back on track. We believe that every worker deserves a fair and equitable workplace. Deactivation Representation is one step towards providing that for drivers.

Deactivation Representation Availability

Deactivation Representation was previously available in New York and New Jersey, however as of July 2026 all IDG appeal hearings before a worker panel are currently on hold. Due to 2026 legislation in New York City requiring Uber and Lyft to participate in a new government-run hearing process through the city’s OATH court system, the rideshare companies have put a hold on participating in the Guild’s deactivation appeals program. We are continuing to fight for drivers’ rights to due process, timely action, support in their own language and confidentiality in challenging unfair deactivations.

IDG’s Union-Won Process Helped Thousands of Workers Per Year 

IDG’s union-negotiated process helped New York and New Jersey rideshare drivers appeal if Uber or Lyft unfairly kicked them off the driver app or “deactivated” their driver account. The IAM Union (the Machinists Union) negotiated the first-of-its-kind worker-led grievance system for rideshare drivers in 2016. Through 2026, it has been run by its affiliate, the Independent Drivers Guild (IDG), which represents over 300,000 for-hire vehicle drivers including more than 100,000 in New York State alone. The IDG has gotten tens of thousands of workers back to work so they can pay their rent and feed their families – many within days.  

 ✅ Proven Results: Thousands reinstated each year – many within days; highly successful arbitration record.

• Tens of Thousands helped: In New York City, IDG helped 20,000 rideshare drivers successfully fight unfair deactivations and get reinstated in just the last five years of the ten year old program, including more than 4,000 drivers in 2024 alone.
• Extremely High Success rate: IDG opened 4,800 cases for New York City rideshare drivers in 2024 and ninety percent of those drivers were successfully reinstated and got back to work, many within days. The remaining cases were discontinued, either due to drivers choosing to discontinue their appeal (often because they found new work) or because they were found ineligible for reinstatement (such as those whose drivers’ license was revoked).

✅ Trained Advocate & Representation: Any rideshare driver in New York or New Jersey who Uber or Lyft deactivated had a right to be represented by IDG’s trained advocates, fluent in several languages. Advocates helped from the moment a worker contacted the IDG until final disposition and IDG provided representation for the driver should their case go to a hearing. 

✅ Worker Panel: In cases where there was a disagreement, the driver could appeal all the way up to a virtual hearing before a panel of their fellow workers and moderated by a professional third-party arbitrator from the American Arbitration Association. IDG has had a highly successful arbitration record under this system from 2016-2026. 

✅ Professional Union Case Management System: The Guild supported high case volumes efficiently because its system is designed around driver success and not bureaucracy. Drivers submit and manage their cases with ease, in their preferred language, eliminating confusion or delays caused by language barriers. They securely upload critical evidence like dashcam footage or deactivation notices in seconds, and immediately see where their case stands, ensuring full transparency at every step.  Real-time communication with multilingual advocates kept drivers informed and supported and not left in the dark.  Built-in online hearing capabilities mean drivers don’t have to miss work or travel just to defend themselves. And because the platform connected directly with rideshare systems like Uber, Lyft, and Black Car bases, documentation flowed automatically rather than getting lost in emails or paperwork.  The result was more drivers got help faster, spent less time sidelined, and got back on the road and back to work with dignity and confidence.

How did NY rideshare drivers win deactivation representation?

The IAM (the Machinists Union) and its affiliate, the Independent Drivers Guild (IDG), have led national efforts to secure rights and protections for for-hire vehicle (FHV) drivers. IAM has organized black car drivers in New York City since the 1990s, securing pioneering wins including the first union contract for black car drivers and winning the state’s Black Car Fund, providing workers’ compensation for thousands of drivers. By the time rideshare apps started operating in New York, IAM had been working with drivers for decades – so when problems arose with Uber, drivers naturally turned to IAM for help. 

IAM organizers and city drivers met regularly in the city’s airport lots to discuss grievances, demands and solutions. Drivers needed a voice with the app companies to fight for their key demands: better pay (including a fair minimum pay rate), the right to appeal if they were kicked off the app, and benefits. 

In 2016, the IAM negotiated the nation’s first driver-led process for New York’s rideshare drivers to appeal unfairly being kicked off the driver app or “deactivated”. IAM also helped drivers establish the Independent Drivers Guild as a non-profit worker center to run the deactivation appeals and to represent drivers against the rapidly growing threat posed by app companies like Uber and Lyft.

Today, IDG represents over 100,000 FHV drivers in New York and 300,000 across several other states and has won major victories that put billions of dollars in the pockets of drivers, including winning a tipping option in the Uber app, the first-in-the-nation minimum pay floor for NYC rideshare drivers, and new health benefits like vision, dental and mental health support for NY drivers.

Learn more about the services available for IDG Members in your state or go to iamdeactivated.com for help.