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Labor Department releases findings into MN rideshare driver study
The results come one day after the Minneapolis City Council passed an ordinance raising wages for drivers with services like Uber and Lyft.
ST PAUL, Minn. — Editor’s note: The video above first aired on KARE 11 on March 7, 2024.
Just one day after a rideshare ordinance to increase wages for drivers was passed by the Minneapolis City Council — and subsequently vetoed by Mayor Jacob Frey, Minnesota’s Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) released its findings from a yearlong study into driver pay and protections.
The report, ordered by Gov. Tim Walz, showed the culmination of data collected from more than 18 million rides in 2022 and a survey of over 1,800 transportation network company (TNC) drivers across the state.
According to the report, drivers make an average of 48.7 cents per minute and 89 cents per mile in the Twin Cities metro and about 42.7 cents per minute and $1.116 per mile in Greater Minnesota. The ordinance passed in Minneapolis, if the council overrides Frey’s veto, would allow drivers for services like Uber and Lyft to be eligible for 51 cents per minute and $1.40 per mile, in their respective regions.
But the news wasn’t met with total satisfaction, as some drivers shared their concern that if their pay goes up, rider fare will too, potentially causing riders, including low-income customers, to reduce or stop ordering rides.
As for the council, it claims the ordinance would benefit workers by closing a loophole in the city’s existing minimum wage policy, bringing drivers’ average wages up to meet the current minimum wage of $15.57.
Factoring in drivers’ time waiting for a ride assignment, picking up passengers and transporting passengers, the DLI report said in order to properly cover those expenses, per-mile pay should start at a base no lower than 89 cents to $1.207 per mile in the Twin Cities.
For drivers in Greater Minnesota, the report said wages ranging from at least $1.117 to $1.393 would be enough to offset drivers’ aforementioned personal expenses.
According to DLI, 95% of Minnesota’s rideshare trips happen in the metro’s seven counties, while the other 5% happen in Greater Minnesota.
Read the full DLI report here or below.
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The suspect was 17 at the time of the shooting, but he was charged as an adult.
A St. Paul man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, more than two years after a drive-by shooting left a 17-year-old dead.
Casimir Semlak, of St. Paul, was charged with shooting 17-year-old Anthony Skelley in May 2022 during an apparent drug deal in South St. Paul. Police say a search of Skelley’s cell phone uncovered that the last number he was in communication with was linked to the suspect.
Semlak was also 17 at the time but was charged in the adult court system.
Following his death, family members told KARE 11 in a statement that Skelley was a junior attending St. Paul Public Schools’ Gateway to College program, and had “a beautiful soul with a cheerful presence and a joyful spirit.”
Semlak will be sentenced in January 2025.
The Moorhead Police Department said Paige Reinke was last seen Sunday wearing a blue sweatshirt and gray sweatpants.
MOORHEAD, Minn. — Officials are asking for the public’s help locating a 17-year-old Moorhead girl that is believed to be endangered.
According to the Moorhead Police Department, Paige Reinke was last seen Sunday near the 2600 block of River Drive North wearing a blue sweatshirt and gray sweatpants. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) describes her as 5-foot-4, 155 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Moorhead Police Department at 701-451-7660.
“The Power of a Transformed Woman” is Twyla Martin’s raw, unapologetic story about strength, transformation and rising above trauma.
ST PAUL, Minn. — A Minnesota author and motivational speaker has written a new book and is holding a panel discussion.
“The Power of a Transformed Woman” is Twyla Martin’s raw, unapologetic story about strength, transformation, and rising above trauma.
On Friday, Nov. 1, Martin will speak with a panel at CSPS Hall in St. Paul about her book release.
- Twyla Martin – Author
- Nekima Levy Armstrong – Civil rights attorney, activities, and community organizer
- Chantel Sings – Powerhouse vocalist, songwriter, and performer
- Ashley DuBose – Singer, songwriter
- Jamela Pettiford – Vocalist and actress
- Lissa Jones – Speaker, advocate for African American history and culture
- Robin Hickman-Winfield – Producer, filmmaker, and CEO of SoulTouch Productions
- Alana Carrington – Creative professional with expertise in the arts, education, and community development
