The Independent Drivers Guild is a new nonprofit organization working to protect, support, and connect New York’s independent drivers. The Guild is a Machinists Union affiliate that represents all current and future Uber drivers in New York City, 35,000 currently. The IDG is the first driver association ever to negotiate a seat at the table with a transportation network company to offer crucial new protections, benefits, while bringing drivers together. The courts have thus far restricted app-based drivers from organizing as a traditional union, but we believe that the power of a union is workers banding together, not legal rights and responsibilities. With the Guild, we can band together and win better working conditions and increase drivers’ earnings now.