ST. PAUL, Minn. – Democratic State Senator Omar Fateh, who authored a bill for better pay for Uber and Lyft drivers, criticized Governor Tim Walz for vetoing the legislation. The veto, Fateh said, showed “the power corporations hold on our government.” The bill had passed both houses of the Legislature but Walz said no. To which Fateh said: “The fight is not over. I promise you I won’t back down. This will be my top priority going in to next session.” These drivers are considered independent contractors with no job security or benefits or bargaining rights with the Uber and Lyft companies. The companies can unplug the drivers any time. It’s called being “deactivated.”
Fateh’s bill
The vetoed bill would have set ride-hailing farses at a minimum of $5 per ride plus $1.45 per mile and 34 cents per minute in the Twin Cities. Fares would have been slightly less outstate. The bill also would have made it harder for the Uber and Lyft companies to terminate drivers with no explanation.
Fetah as hero
When the Senate passed Fateh’s bill, Uber and Lyft drivers cheered and carried him out of the Senate chambers on their shoulders. Fateh is the first Somali American elected to the Minnesota Senate. Many Uber and Lift drivers are ethnic Somalis and East Africans.
Federal moves
The Biden Administration has proposed new labor standards could make it more difficult to classify millions of workers as independent contractors and deny them minimum wage and benefits. Also it’s a dangerous business to be in. The fatality rate for ride-hailing is one of deadliest occupations in the country, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Fateh. First-term state senator elected from south Minneapolis.