Uber signs driver bargaining agreement with major UK union

Uber says it’s formally recognizing a major British trade union

LONDON -- Uber said Wednesday it's formally recognizing a major British trade union so it can represent drivers, a breakthrough for labor campaigners seeking fairer working conditions from the ride-hailing giant. The San Francisco-based company said it signed a collective bargaining agreement with the GMB trade union, one of the U.K.'s biggest. Under the agreement, the GMB will represent Uber's 70,000 drivers across the U.K. The drivers will still be able to choose if, when and where they drive. Union membership won't be automatic and drivers will have to sign up for it. “History has been made," GMB National Official Mick Rix said in a statement issued by Uber. “This agreement shows gig economy companies don’t have to be a wild west on the untamed frontier of employment rights."