Uber/Lyft drivers plan strike before Uber's IPO in New York, elsewhere

May 6 (UPI) -- Uber and Lyft drivers in New York City and elsewhere could go on strike for two hours Wednesday, one day before Uber's initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange.

The New York City Taxi Workers Alliance announced a strike from 7 to 9 a.m. Wednesday in New York City and other cities to demand a minimum wage. The app-based drivers are legally entitled to a minimum wage of $17 an hour after expenses.

"All we are asking for them is to turn off the app for two hours so Uber and Lyft feel the problem," said Henry Rolands, strike organizer and Lyft driver. "You will not lose sleep over two hours of not driving. Any driver who turns on their app then is most likely silly."

Strikes are also planned in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

Uber/Lift drivers say they are upset about low pay and mistreatment from tech billionaires.

"Wall Street investors are telling Uber and Lyft to cut down on driver income, stop incentives, and go faster to drvierless cars," the Taxi Workers Alliance said on its website.

Lyft went public in March. Both have set up bonus programs to hep drivers buy their stock but neither provided data on how many have done so. A Lyft spokesman said their drivers' wages have increased over the last two years.

Uber will list on the NYSE with the ticker symbol UBER. A prospectus showed Uber reported $11.3 billion in revenue and a net income of $997 million. The company's valuation could reach $120 billion.

But many drivers remain skeptical.

"It's a marketing ploy for them," Uber driver and NYTWA member Sonam Lama said. "I haven't met a single driver that got more than a $100 bonus. "There was no link saying how you can buy the stock option. They just gave us $100 -- that's all I deserve for driving for five years?"