Oregon rideshare drivers are demanding fair pay and protections on the job — and they’re taking their fight to the state legislature with a bill that could improve how Uber and Lyft treat drivers.
Senate Bill 1166 — introduced by Senator Kayse Jama (D-Portland) and Representative Nathan Sosa (D-Hillsboro) — would create a minimum rate of $0.68 per minute of passenger time and $1.59 per passenger mile, to be revised annually based on inflation. It would also institute a minimum pay of $6 per dispatched trip, prohibit companies from counting tips toward the minimum pay, and require companies to provide paid sick time.
The bill is the top priority for a new group called Drivers Union Oregon, which formed in 2023 after seeing successes won by rideshare drivers in Washington.
Drivers Union Oregon organizer Nathaniel Hudson-Hartman says drivers were sold on the rideshare model as a side hustle. But rideshare is far more than a safe ride home after a night of bar hopping — it’s an integral part of the transportation system, Hudson-Hartman said. Over eight years as a rideshare driver, he’s driven people to medical appointments, domestic violence shelters, and emergency shelters during ice storms. Drivers Union Oregon wants the workers who provide those rides to have certain basic rights.
Jama is also proposing an amendment to his bill that would require companies like Uber and Lyft to demonstrate just cause for deactivating drivers’ profiles, meaning they must complete an investigation, and use a progressive discipline system before dropping them.
“We’re essential workers in this transportation industry, and meanwhile, we’re being paid less than minimum wage after our expenses, and fired by an app without just cause or representation — or even being able to talk to an actual human being,” Hudson-Hartman told the Labor Press. “In our business, we call it deactivation, but it just translates into being fired by an app.”
Sometimes drivers are deactivated because of a glitch in the app or a delayed background check. Hudson-Hartman said a disproportionate number of drivers of color are deactivated in response to racially-motivated complaints.
Drivers Union Oregon is asking Oregon lawmakers for the same rights rideshare drivers already have in Washington. Both Seattle and the state of Washington set minimum rates per minute and per mile for rides on companies like Uber and Lyft. The Seattle rate is the same proposed by SB 1166. Outside of Seattle, Washington’s minimum rate is $0.39 per passenger minute and $1.34 per passenger mile. (The IRS standard mileage rate for 2025, which many employers use to compensate employees for fuel and wear and tear from using their personal vehicles for business use, is $0.70 per mile.)
Drivers Union Oregon estimates there are around 10,000 rideshare drivers in the state, but solid numbers are hard to come by. SB 1166 would require that companies provide monthly reports to the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) about the number of drivers, rides, and compensation. Jama’s proposed amendment to SB 1166 would also fund a $4 million Driver Resource Center.
Neither the original bill nor the amendment had been voted on as of April 29.
SB 1166 had its first public hearing April 28 in front of the Senate Committee on Rules. Drivers and allies caravanned to testify. Ahmed Alshamanie started driving for Uber in 2014. He told legislators that he had 26,000 completed trips, a 4.97 out of 5 rating, and had been featured on Uber’s website as an “All Star Driver” before he was abruptly deactivated in 2020 after one complaint. It took years for him to get his account back.
At the hearing, Lyft representative Marissa Cade told legislators that if SB 1166 passes, Lyft ride prices would increase by 33% and overall ride volume would decrease by 25% or more. Senator Jeff Golden (D-Ashland) asked if those calculations were based on the company maintaining its current profit margin. Cade said she was unable to answer the question at that time, eliciting laughter from the bill’s supporters in the hearing.
