Labor unrest reached the public and private transport sectors in Egypt in the build-up to the uprising of 2011. While scholars have focused on how neoliberal policies aggravated economic and union related grievances, I point to workers’ power resources to explain unrest. I show that for some transport workers the neoliberal changes increased their power resources and capacities to protests, and for others, the fact that by the 2000s neoliberalism was incomplete explained workers’ power. For example, the acceleration of neoliberal policies and the growing importance of international trade for the Egyptian economy empowered private cargo workers to make radical demands and gain concessions. The neoliberal turn was also associated with the predominance of informal transport in some areas empowering them to protests. For others, such as public bus workers, the fact that the neoliberal turn was not completed yet, explained their remaining role in the economy and their ability to resist privatization, make radical demands, and gain concessions. This paper contributes to the literature on labor in Egypt by showing that power resources, and position in the economy are key for understanding unrest. I also contribute to the literature on labor in the Global South that focuses on how union power and coalitions with ruling elites allowed workers to resist attacks on workers’ rights under neoliberalism. I show that the unevenness of neoliberal policies and its impact on workers’ economic position influenced workers’ capacities.