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Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis considers minimum wage for Uber, Lyft drivers

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Minneapolis considers minimum wage for Uber, Lyft drivers


MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Drivers for Uber, Lyft and other rideshare companies would get a minimum wage in Minneapolis if a city ordinance passes as early as next month, city council members said Tuesday at a news conference.

Under the ordinance, drivers would get at least $1.40 per mile and $0.51 per minute, or $5, whichever is greater. The rule would only apply for the portion of the ride within the city.

Uber and Lyft “cannot continue to collect billions of dollars off the backs of drivers, like the ones here today, while those very drivers struggle to cover their rent, childcare costs, health care bills, and so many other basic necessities,” said Democratic council member Robin Wonsley, lead author of the proposed ordinance.

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Emergency call center workers say their centers are understaffed, struggling to fill vacancies and plagued by worker burnout.

FILE - A vendor bags psilocybin mushrooms at a pop-up cannabis market on May 24, 2019. Minneapolis is backing away from enforcing laws that criminalize psychedelic plants. On Friday, July 21, 2023, Mayor Jacob Frey ordered police to stop using taxpayer dollars to enforce most laws against hallucinogenic plants, which include psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca and mescaline. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

Minneapolis is backing away from enforcing laws that criminalize buying psychedelic plants or using them in private.

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Nicholas Hartnett, owner of Pure Power Solar, carries a panel as he and Brian Hoeppner, right, install a solar array on the roof of a home in Frankfort, Ky., Monday, July 17, 2023. Since passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, it has boosted the U.S. transition to renewable energy, accelerated green domestic manufacturing, and made it more affordable for consumers to make climate-friendly purchases, such as installing solar panels on their roofs. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Excessive heat continues to bear down on sections of the US, a reminder of the impetus for the The Inflation Reduction Act, the significant climate legislation that turns one year old on August 16.

Kimberly Thompson, center, listens as Francis Howell School Board members talk in favor of rescinding all previously passed resolutions, including an anti-racism resolution, during a meeting on Thursday, July 20, 2023 in O'Fallon, Mo. In the national reckoning that followed the police killing of George Floyd three years ago, protesters took to the streets in a St. Louis suburb and urged the mostly-white Francis Howell School District to address racial discrimination. The school board responded with a resolution promising to do better. Now, led by new conservative board members elected since last year, that resolution has been revoked.(David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)

In the national reckoning that followed the police killing of George Floyd three years ago, about 2,000 protesters took to the streets in a St. Louis suburb.

Farxan Bedel said he has been driving for Uber and Lyft since 2018 to support his family.

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“We just want fair compensation,” Bedel said. “If you pay $50 from downtown Minneapolis to the airport, why am I getting $15? That’s unfair.”

If passed, the ordinance would also guarantee riders and drivers get receipts detailing how much the rider was charged versus what the driver received.

“The pay for drivers has dropped to less than half of what it was in 2014. That’s what caused 1,300 drivers to organize,” said Stephen Cooper, an attorney for the Minnesota Uber/Lyft Drivers Association and a former human rights commissioner for Minnesota.

Seattle, New York City and Washington state have passed similar policies to protect rideshare drivers, and rideshare companies haven’t left those places, Cooper said.

In May, Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz vetoed a bill that would have mandated higher pay and job security for Lyft and Uber drivers in the state. Walz said at the time that rideshare drivers deserve fair wages and safe working conditions, but it wasn’t the right bill to achieve those goals.

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Ride-hailing drivers, like other gig economy workers, are typically treated as independent contractors not entitled to minimum wages and other benefits, and have to cover their own gas and car payments.

___

Trisha Ahmed is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues. Follow Trisha Ahmed on Twitter: @TrishaAhmed15





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Minneapolis, MN

2 dead, 3 injured in north Minneapolis crash on Monday morning

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2 dead, 3 injured in north Minneapolis crash on Monday morning


WCCO digital headlines: Afternoon of Dec. 16, 2024

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WCCO digital headlines: Afternoon of Dec. 16, 2024

01:31

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MINNEAPOLIS — Two people are dead and three others are injured after a crash in north Minneapolis on Monday morning.

The Minneapolis Police Department says the crash happened around 10:21 a.m. at Emerson Avenue North and 26th Avenue North.

A vehicle traveling north on Emerson Avenue North collided with a vehicle traveling east on 26th Avenue North. The vehicle going east then veered off the road and into a bus shelter, hitting a 17-year-old boy. Police say he suffered injuries not considered life-threatening.

10p-vo-nmpls-deadly-crash-wcco6oct.jpg

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Two women had been inside the vehicle traveling east. One of them died at the scene while the other had to be extricated from the car. She was transported to the hospital, where police say she later died.

A man and a woman who were inside the other car suffered life-threatening injuries, according to the Minneapolis Police Department.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, but police say investigators believe speed is likely a contributing factor.

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Minneapolis, MN

Woman, 28, pleads guilty in deadly shooting in Minneapolis store

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Woman, 28, pleads guilty in deadly shooting in Minneapolis store


Woman, 28, pleads guilty in deadly shooting in Minneapolis store – CBS Minnesota

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Police say Misti Nelson, 28, fatally shot 40-year-old Kenneth Johnson during a fight between customers at Mr. Santana in Minneapolis’ Marcy-Holmes neighborhood.

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Minneapolis, MN

NFC North standings: With Lions loss, can Vikings take first place?

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NFC North standings: With Lions loss, can Vikings take first place?


Jalen Nailor #83 of the Minnesota Vikings catches a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium on October 20, 2024 in Minneapolis, MN. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

The Detroit Lions suffered their second loss of the season on Sunday, losing in a shootout to the Buffalo Bills.

NFC North division standings

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What we know: The Lions still sit atop the NFC North with a 12-2 record. The Minnesota Vikings are in second place at 11-2 but can move to 12-2 if they win on Monday Night Football versus the Bears.

Context: But even if the Vikings win Monday night, the Lions will still retain control of the NFC North because of their head-to-head record. The Lions beat the Vikings in Week 7 in Minneapolis, with Detroit eeking past Minnesota, 31-29.

What’s next?: Control of the division could come down to the final Week 18 matchup between the Lions and Vikings in Detroit.

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NFC conference standings

Big picture: The Lions are also still the top seed in the NFC, despite the loss and the Philadelphia Eagles win on Sunday.

Both teams are 12-2, but the Lions hold the tiebreaker with the Eagles due to their conference record. 

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The top team in each conference earns a bye in the Wildcard Round of the playoffs.

What’s next?: The Vikings could clinch a playoff spot on Sunday, if the Packers defeat the Seahawks on Sunday night football.

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