Minneapolis community leaders call for city council to reconsider rideshare pay hike at Thursday meeting
MINNEAPOLIS — Fifty community leaders joined Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey Monday to call on the city council to reconsider the pay hike they approved for rideshare drivers.
Both Uber and Lyft say they'll leave the Twin Cities May 1 if the current pay plan goes into effect.
Right now, the council could take up the issue at Thursday's meeting, but that's not a sure thing.
Community leaders came together to ask the Minneapolis City Council to reconsider their pay hike, warning thousands will be stranded at the airport.
"Uber and Lyft are two of the most popular options for people wanting to get to and from MSP with 2.8 million trips in 2023," said Chad Leqve with the Metropolitan Airports Commission.
They argue those with disabilities will lose independence.
"Right now, the Minneapolis City Council did not get this right. They got it wrong. Let's step back from the cliff and make sure we can have a responsible discussion about a path forward," said Corbb O'Connor, president of the National Federation for the Blind - Minnesota.
READ MORE: Will Uber and Lyft really leave the Twin Cities? Deadline nears for rideshare wage compromise
And they say the city will lose conventions, hurting downtown restaurants.
"It would put us at a terribly competitive disadvantage with other cities to attract conventions if we didn't have the option for rideshare," said Tim Murray, owner of Murray's Restaurant.
Last month the council passed an ordinance that requires a minimum wage of $1.40 per mile and 51 cents per minute.
Frey vetoed the increase but the council overrode the veto.
Lyft says it is willing to support a state study's recommended pay hike of 89 cents per mile and 49 cents per minute. Frey is on board with that state proposal that also contains benefits like tax deductions and insurance costs
"There is a way where we can both dramatically increase the rate of pay for drivers and simultaneously keep Uber and Lyft in our city," Frey said.
Three Minneapolis council members who support a rollback of the increase were at the news conference. All said they are not sure if there are enough votes to reconsider this ordinance come Thursday when the council meets.
At least four smaller rideshare companies have applied for licenses so they can try and fill the void.
"Despite the fact that the Council has repeatedly rejected offers to collaborate on this important issue, we are encouraged that they are now open to reconsidering their extremely damaging ordinance," a spokesperson for Lyft said in a statement.
