Uber and Lyft are the biggest ride sharing companies in America. And on Wednesday, one day before Uber offered stock for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange, many of its driver's around the world went on strike. And they were joined by some drivers for Lyft and other ride sharing companies.

Uber's initial public offering on the stock market could raise about $10 billion for the company. And it's offering its veteran drivers a payout of between $100 and $10,000 depending on how many trips they've completed for the company. They'll also have the choice to use that money to buy Uber's newly offered stock. But drivers who've given fewer than 2,500 trips may not be eligible to receive a payout.

And those who went on strike yesterday, in general, called for higher wages and better job security. On average, Uber drivers are estimated to make around $19 per hour in wages. Some say it works out to considerably less than that once fees, commissions, expenses are factored in. Uber and Lyft say their drivers are independent contractors. What that means in many cases is that they don't get the same rights as employees. But Uber also says it can't succeed without its drivers.

The length of the strikes, the timing of them, and the specific demands of the drivers varied from city to city. But this was expected to be the biggest internationally coordinated effort so far against ride hailing companies. The number of drivers who went on strike and the results of the strikes aren't known yet.