Muslim Civic Coalition Marks Labor Day by Helping Rideshare Drivers Build Their Union
Chicago, IL - September 8, 2026 — Labor Day honors American workers and what they have built. On the first Monday of September, we recognize the people whose labor sustains this country and the sacrifices they have made to win dignity on the job.
Our faith teaches us to take that seriously. Work is not only how a person earns; it is how a person carries responsibility for their family and their community. The Prophet ﷺ instructed that a worker be given their wages before their sweat dries. Fair pay, safe conditions, and a voice at work are not favors granted to workers. They are what is owed.
This Labor Day, the Muslim Civic Coalition marked the occasion by working alongside the App Drivers Union, the union that rideshare drivers across Illinois are building for themselves.
A right that drivers organized for
On August 7, 2026, Governor JB Pritzker signed the Illinois Transportation Network Driver Labor Relations Act (HB 5090), also known as the Rideshare Drivers' Union Bill, into law. It gives more than 100,000 Illinois rideshare drivers the legal right to form a union and bargain collectively over pay, benefits, safety, earnings transparency, and unfair deactivations. Illinois is now the third state in the country to open this door, after Massachusetts and California.
That law did not arrive on its own. It is the result of a multi-year campaign by drivers themselves, organizing through the Illinois Drivers Alliance and the App Drivers Union with SEIU Local 1 and the IAM Union. Drivers drove to Springfield week after week, testified in committee, told their stories, and refused to let the issue drop. The bill was sponsored by State Senator Ram Villivalam and State Representative Yolonda Morris.
This is what civic power looks like when the people most affected are the ones leading. Laws made for us must be made with us.
What the law changes
Rideshare drivers remain independent contractors under this law. What changes is that they can now select a representative and negotiate as a sector, rather than each driver facing Uber and Lyft alone.
The first step is signing a union authorization card. Once enough drivers sign, the App Drivers Union can move toward recognition and begin bargaining over the issues drivers name most often: pay that has not kept pace with gas, insurance, and vehicle costs; deactivations that end a livelihood with no explanation and no appeal; and safety on the job.
Why our community
Rideshare driving is one of the most common ways Muslim immigrants and working families in Illinois earn a living. Many of our drivers are new Americans. Many drive nights and weekends around another job. Many face barriers to raising a concern at all, whether from language, immigration status, or the simple reality that there has never been anyone to raise it to.
The App Drivers Union is working to bring more Muslim drivers into the union so that their concerns shape the contract rather than get added to it later. A union that reflects the full range of drivers on the road, across ethnicity, faith, and background, negotiates for all of them.
What we did
Over two Jummahs, the Muslim Civic Coalition tabled at ICW and ISNS, meeting drivers as they came out of prayer.
At each table we:
Explained the new law and what rights it creates
Answered questions about what signing a card does and does not commit a driver to
Distributed union authorization cards, including Spanish-language cards
Connected drivers directly to App Drivers Union organizers for follow-up
Shared Muslim Civic Coalition voter registration and Voter Hub information
Masjid parking lots on a Friday afternoon are full of drivers between shifts. Meeting people where they already are, in a place they already trust, is how outreach actually reaches. Several drivers signed cards on the spot. Others took materials home to read, and some brought a friend back the following week.
When our community is heard, we are stronger and more unified. When our community is organized, we win things.
Resources for drivers
Sign a union card or learn more about the App Drivers Union appdriversunionil.org
Learn about the drivers' campaign that won the law illinoisdriversalliance.org
Read about the law's signing and what it covers App Drivers Union: 100,000+ Illinois Rideshare Drivers Win Historic Right to Join the App Drivers Union
If you drive, or you know someone who does, share this. A union is built one card at a time.
Your voice at work, your voice at the ballot.
The right drivers just won came from years of people showing up, speaking, and being counted. The same is true of everything else our communities need.
We can't protect our rights if we don't exercise our rights. The general election is Tuesday, November 3. Check your registration, find your polling place, and know what's on your ballot.