Bernie Sanders stood in solidarity with Lyft drivers calling for a strike back in March, but his presidential campaign spent nearly $1000 in that month alone on the ride-sharing service.
“I stand with Uber and Lyft drivers striking in LA. One job should be enough to make a decent living in America, especially for those working for multibillion-dollar companies,” the Vermont senator tweeted on March 25. “Drivers must be paid the wages they deserve.”
Lyft and Uber drivers are striking around the world Wednesday in protest against low wages, the lack of benefits, and other perceived unfair labor practices by the companies. A number of progressive groups have criticized rideshare companies for taking advantage of the fact that their drivers are contract workers and thus exempt from a number of labor regulations. Drivers participating in the strike have also asked the public not to use the service during the walkout.
[Opinion: Why the Lyft-Uber strike will likely fizzle]
Despite Sanders’ criticism of the companies, his 2020 staffers used Lyft regularly throughout the month of March, according to the campaign’s Federal Election Commission filings. From March 8 to March 27, the campaign spent $921.90 using the service.
“Uber is not a poor company. It paid its top five executives $143 million in compensation last year, including $45 million to its CEO. So why are Uber drivers struggling to put food on the table?” Sanders tweeted today. “I stand with striking Uber and Lyft drivers today. The greed has got to end.”
Despite having less riders than its rival Uber, Lyft went public in April at a valuation of $24 billion. In 2017, CEO Logan Green made over $41 million, including stock options and a base salary of $400,000.
According to a study by NerdWallet, Lyft drivers make an average of $11.77 per hour.
