Uber THREATENS Minnesota, Governor Caves

Will Uber and Lyft ever have to play by the rules? In Minnesota, despite having a few wins since his election in 2019 such as making Minnesota a sanctuary state for trans people, abortion seekers, and immigration and then legalizing recreational cannabis, Governor Tim Walz just kind of f’d it up.

Last week the Minnesota legislature advanced a bill to protect rideshare drivers rights, giving them a minimum wage. Uber and Lyft drivers prematurely celebrated the law, assuming that the triple threat Democratic House, Senate, and governor would swiftly preserve their workers rights. Boy were they wrong.

The rideshare giant Uber had another plan. As they’ve done in other states, like with California’s Prop 22 which sought to classify drivers as workers instead of independent contractors, the company pulled out all the stops to make sure gig workers stayed giggin’. Uber threatened to only provide their premium-priced service (think XL) in the Twin Cities and cancel service altogether in the rest of the state if Governor Walz signed the legislation.

So Walz licked Uber’s boot and turned his back on rideshare drivers declaring the legislation “not ready to become law” and vetoing it. Instead of providing protections and a minimum rate for workers in one of the deadliest occupations in the country, the Minnesota governor declared they’ll commission a study about the working conditions of ride-hail drivers (they’re bad!). What does this meddling say about the power of corporations over our politicians?

***************************

Independent creators rely on your support to create the content you want!

Join this channel to get access to perks:

Become a Patron of The Bitchuation Room:

Tip the show:

Venmo: @TBR-LIVE

Cash-App: @TBRLIVE

Get your TBR merch: www.bitchuationroom.com

***************************

Thanks to Paige Omek, Alexandra Ornes, and Max Inhoff

***************************

Follow The Bitchuation Room on Twitter @BitchuationPod

Check Out The Bitchuation Room Podcast

Google Music

Find Francesca On:

YouTubeThe Bitchuation Room’s channel