Minnesota rideshare drivers push for ability to unionize – InForum
ST. PAUL — Minnesota Uber and Lyft drivers gathered at the Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 25, to unveil a push backed by lawmakers for the right to unionize.
The Tuesday morning press conference outlined legislation that has not yet been introduced but would give drivers the right to organize a labor union and to engage in collective action to improve working conditions.
Greg Nammacher, president of SEIU Local 26, said his union was proud to be part of a driver-led coalition in the last two legislative sessions, that “those were important first steps,” but that drivers need more.
“It’s also clear that without a voice at the table, without a permanent voice where drivers can make sure that they are negotiating and figuring out how to make these jobs good jobs that can actually support their families … these problems are going to continue to come back to the Legislature, and the Legislature does not need to be the HR of huge multimillion-dollar global corporations like Uber and Lyft,” he said.
An SEIU spokesperson explained that since drivers are technically independent contractors and not employees, this right isn’t already afforded under state and federal law.
Last year, the Legislature passed a
that mandates Uber and Lyft drivers to be paid $1.28 a mile and $0.31 per minute. The wage increase was met with resistance from Uber and Lyft, which both threatened to leave the state of Minnesota before reaching an agreement.
Mary Murphy / Forum News Service
Dawit Kassa, who was appointed by Gov. Tim Walz to a task force that helped inform last year’s legislation, shared the story of how he was deactivated from Uber in 2022, he believes from a rider’s review.
“Drivers are falsely accused and deactivated because of riders who didn’t like them … or sometimes for no reason at all,” Kassa said. “I’m one of the victims of this. I’m still deactivated and not allowed to work for Uber since 2022. This is our job, and people don’t understand that we can have it taken away at any time and not even have a clear understanding of why.”
Another driver at the press conference, Said Mohamed, said despite the new minimum wage, Uber and Lyft sometimes take weeks to pay their wages in full. They said this is an issue they would hope to address with the ability to unionize.
Mary Murphy joined Forum Communications in October 2024 as the Minnesota State Correspondent. She can be reached by email at mmurphy@forumcomm.com.
