On the eve of Uber’s initial public offering (IPO) on Wall Street, Uber workers around the world are logging off the app and going on strike. The strike was initially called for by the Los Angeles-based drivers’ union Rideshare Drivers United (RDU) to protest Uber’s recent 25 percent pay rate cuts. Uber unilaterally implemented these cuts prior to this week’s IPO in an effort to boost its value.

Some speculate that their IPO valuation will be worth nearly $100 billion. A small handful of people in Silicon Valley will make billions from cutting workers’ wages and “disrupting” an industry by refusing to follow local laws. In this regard, today’s strike is not just a strike against Uber, but a strike against cities which allow the radical privatization and deregulation of critical city infrastructure. It’s not just a “sharing economy” strike — it’s a strike for the right to the city.

Cities across the country and world have passively accepted Uber’s illegal business model. Classifying drivers as independent contractors allows Uber to avoid labor protections such as minimum wage, overtime, unemployment compensation, and the right to form a union. If Uber is allowed to “go employee-free” why wouldn’t every company in America attempt to do the same?