Senate labor committee adopts technical amendment and hears bill to let rideshare drivers organize

The Minnesota Senate Labor Committee on May 1 adopted a technical A1 amendment to Senate File 3229 and held an informational hearing on a bill that would let rideshare drivers choose to organize and collectively bargain with transportation network companies (TNCs) such as Uber and Lyft.

Senator Mohammed, the bill—s sponsor, told the committee the measure —gives rideshare drivers the right, if they choose so, to organize, to negotiate, and to vote on the terms of their work.— He said the framework is modeled partly on efforts in other states and tailored to Minnesota to ensure "fairness and enforceability." The bill would allow drivers to form or join a driver organization and petition to become the exclusive representative for industry-wide collective bargaining; any agreement would be ratified by a majority of active drivers through a statewide vote, according to the sponsor.

The committee first adopted the A1 amendment, described by the sponsor as technical…