On January 27 and January 28, brands and CEOs voiced concerns over President Donald Trump’s executive order regarding an immigration ban for 7 Muslim countries. Over the weekend this led to many being detained at major airports, with the largest protests at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York.
As hundreds of protesters packed the streets outside JFK’s Terminal 4, cab drivers stopped picking up passengers from the airport for an hour on Saturday evening, leaving the taxi line empty and frantic travelers looking for alternative transportation.
“We cannot be silent,” the New York Taxi Workers Alliance tweeted. “We go to work to welcome people to a land that once welcomed us. We will not be divided.”
NO PICKUPS @ JFK Airport 6 PM to 7 PM today. Drivers stand in solidarity with thousands protesting inhumane & unconstitutional #MuslimBan.
— NY Taxi Workers (@NYTWA) January 28, 2017
We cannot be silent. We go to work to welcome people to a land that once welcomed us. We will not be divided.
— NY Taxi Workers (@NYTWA) January 28, 2017
NO PICKUPS @ JFK Airport 6 PM to 7 PM today. Drivers stand in solidarity with thousands protesting inhumane & unconstitutional #MuslimBan.
— NY Taxi Workers (@NYTWA) January 28, 2017
No cabs in this line at JFK terminal 4. #NoBanNoWall #RefugeesWelcome pic.twitter.com/ZX5BycRTie
— NY Taxi Workers (@NYTWA) January 28, 2017
The NYTWA called on all drivers to join them but Uber chose to continue picking up passengers, although a message went out saying that they would be charging surge prices.
This led to hundreds of Uber users have taken screenshots of themselves deleting the app, accusing it of profiting from a strike and stating that the company’s CEO collaborated with Donald Trump.
Uber also sent out a statement yesterday before the strike occurred, in which Uber CEO Travis Kalanick promised:
“We are working out a process to identify these drivers and compensate them pro bono during the next three months to help mitigate some of the financial stress and complications with supporting their families and putting food on the table. We will have more details on this in the coming days.”
But people are not satisfied. The hashtag #DeleteUber continues to trend worldwide on Sunday as users share images of deleting their Uber app.
Uber competitor, Lyft may by gaining some of tis competiters customers after sending out an email of its own, showing their support against Trump’s executive order.
The ride-sharing company’s co-founders Logan Green and John Zimmer addressed their views in an email to customers with the subject line “Defending Our Values.” In the email, Lyft’s leadership committed to donating 1 million dollars over the next four years to the ACLU to “defend our constitution.”
The letter stated:
“We created Lyft to be a model for the type of community we want our world to be: diverse, inclusive and safe.
This weekend, Trump closed the country’s borders to refugees, immigrants, and even documented residents from around the world based on their country of origin. Banning people of a particular faith or creed, race or identity, sexuality or ethnicity, from entering the U.S. is antithetical to both Lyft’s and our nation’s core values. We stand firmly against these actions, and will not be silent on issues that threaten the values of our community.
We know this directly impacts many of our community members, their families and friends. We stand with you, and are donating $1,000,000 over the next four years to the ACLU to defend our constitution. We ask that you continue to be there for each other – and together, continue proving the power of community.
John & Logan
Lyft Co-Founders”
This led to many advocating for Lyft on social media.
Beau Willimon, Writer/Producer/Playwright and the creator US House of Cards tweeted:
@BeauWillimon
3. The #deleteUber campaign is a good example. We can show companies that it doesn't pay to play both sides or to remain silent.
— Beau Willimon (@BeauWillimon) January 29, 2017
Christopher Rim, a senior board member at Yale tweeted:
.@uber accounted for abt 40% of all my cc transactions but now i’ll #DeleteUber as @lyft vows to donate $1M over the next 4 years to @ACLU
— Christopher Rim (@christopherrim) January 29, 2017
I almost always use a taxi or @lyft but doing this anyway. #deleteuber pic.twitter.com/V3WlFSzLlW
— Leah Reich (@ohheygreat) January 29, 2017
