09/08/2026
On Labor Day, at the Minnesota State Fair Minnesota AFL-CIO Pavilion, members of the SEIU Local 26 Drivers Organizing Committee spoke out about the impact of high gas prices and pay that does not keep up with the costs of doing business or supporting their families.
The drivers are proposing legislation for the 2027 legislative session that would allow them to join with coworkers and vote to form a union. Similar laws have allowed hundreds of thousands of drivers to move towards union rights in California, Massachusetts and Illinois in the last year.
Check out remarks from rideshare driver sSaid (directly below) and Adam (below Said's remarks) about what drivers all across the state are facing and why they are fighting for change:
For nine years, I have seen this industry change. But I have also seen the struggles that drivers face get worse and worse. And today, Minnesota rideshare drivers are still recovering from the attacks of Operation Metro Surge.
Many drivers were afraid to go to work. Many were worried about being stopped, detained, or separated from their families. I experienced that fear myself.
One day, while I was on my way to work, I was pulled over and asked to provide proof of my citizenship. No driver should have to live with that kind of fear just for trying to go to work and provide for their family.
But even beyond that, this job is becoming harder and harder.
Drivers can be unfairly deactivated without warning and without real due process. Just like that, someone can lose their ability to work and earn an income.
At the same time, the cost of gas continues to hurt drivers. For some drivers, the cost of one gallon of gas is almost as much as the minimum amount we can make on a single ride.
Think about that.
How can anyone build a sustainable life when the cost of doing the job is almost as much as what you earn for doing it?
This is unjust. It is out of control. And we should not treat it as normal.
That is why rideshare drivers need a union.
We need the power to stand together, fight unfair deactivations, demand fair pay, and have a voice in the future of our work.
No driver should have to fight these battles alone.
We need a union because together, we have the power to demand dignity, respect, and justice.
Adan's remarks:
First, it is an honor to be here today celebrating Labor Day alongside labor leaders and workers who have fought for working people for generations.
I am grateful for the fights that the labor movement has led, and I look forward to having all of you continue standing with rideshare drivers as we fight for dignity and respect. Because this fight is not easy.
Gas prices are extremely high. The basic cost of living continues to go up, while Uber and Lyft continue taking most of what riders pay for us to take them to the doctor, to do their grocery shopping, and to get to work.
There are days when I work all day, and after paying for gas, I barely have enough left to take care of myself or my family.
Sometimes it feels like I work all day just to fill up my gas tank. After that, there is barely enough left for lunch.
And I am not the only driver experiencing this. This is our everyday reality.
The simple reality is that rideshare drivers need a union.
Every day, drivers face problems that no one person should have to fight alone. We need the power to come together and have a real voice in our working conditions and our future.
With a union, we can fight for fair pay, dignity, respect, and the ability to provide this essential service without sacrificing our own ability to provide for our families.
On this Labor Day, rideshare drivers are standing together and saying: we deserve a seat at the table, we deserve respect, and we deserve a union.
