Rideshare drivers strike at MSP Airport for better pay

Some metro area Uber and Lyft drivers shut off their apps Thursday, and about 30 picketed at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for two hours in the evening.

The drivers called the one-day strike as they continue to advocate for higher pay and more predictable earnings. Several longtime drivers said their cut of fares has steadily dropped.

Ibrahima Kante has been driving for eight years and made more than 25,000 trips in the Twin Cities, he said, showing a screenshot of his history. Pay started off good, but it can no longer support his family.

"I've got six kids I need to take care of," Kante said.

Starting about 5 p.m. Thursday, a group of about 30 drivers marched on a small sidewalk across a tall median from the main departure road at Terminal One. Other drivers zipped by after dropping off passengers, seeming to pay little attention to the small demonstration.

Drivers said despite the cold, they wanted to stand outside to try to get some attention to their problems.

"Nobody's going to fight for us," Kante said. "We've got to fight for our rights."

Rides to the airport remained easily obtainable and normally priced during the afternoon, though Lyft showed surge pricing after 6 p.m.

The one-day strike could become a monthly occurrence, and perhaps a weekly event during busy times at the airport if demands are not met, said Yusuf Haji, a spokesman representing drivers.

"We will collectively keep pushing until we get our demands met," he said.

Drivers working for Uber, Lyft and other app-based rides provide about 2,900 rides a day at the airport, according to the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC).

Over the past year, rideshare drivers have also been pushing for better pay and clarity around the rules transportation network companies such as Uber and Lyft must follow before terminating drivers or deactivating their accounts.

An effort to raise pay for drivers in Minneapolis failed last year, but led to the state creating a task force to study minimum pay rates and working conditions after Gov. Tim Walz vetoed a bill — his first veto — that would have provided pay raises and job protections to rideshare drivers. Uber had threatened to largely pull out of Minnesota if the measure became law.

Drivers said they were not satisfied with what they saw as a delay.

"The longer you push it off, the longer people are going hungry," said driver Amanda VanDyke of Burnsville.

Others said they felt betrayed by the veto.

"I fought for him so he'd fight for me," Abdi Aziz of Chaska said of Walz. Now, Aziz said he wonders if he should start voting Republican.

Since the veto, Uber and Lyft have instituted a $5 minimum charge for rides that begin and end in the metro area.

Lyft, in an emailed statement, said it supported its drivers. "We are always looking for ways to improve the driver experience on our platform," the company said.

For some drivers, incremental changes are not enough to keep them on the road. Mauricio Castaneda of Robbinsdale said he once made good money driving for the apps, but now, he said, he is behind on payments for the car he uses for work. He plans to start driving for Metro Mobility, he said, where he can get $27 an hour and save more for retirement. "That's it, forget about Lyft and Uber," he said.

"The drivers aim to draw attention to these issues," Haji said.

Drivers also hoped the MAC will provide a better facility for drivers to use a restroom while they wait for customers to hail a ride, and space to pray.

Imam Hassan Mohamud from the Islamic Da'wah Center in St. Paul said the current handful of porta-potties and one small structure offering little protection from the elements are not enough.

"The prayers take seven minutes and nobody can stand here that long in this type of weather," he said Thursday, as temperatures fell into the teens.

About 70% of drivers parked in the waiting lot Thursday were Muslim, said Eid Ali, president of the Minnesota Uber and Lyft Drivers Association.

A spokesman for MAC said the agency is monitoring any action or recommendations from a committee that Walz established to look into compensation and treatment issues related to rideshare drivers.