Delivering Solidarity: Jamal Osman’s Record on Workers’ Rights & Living Wages
Delivering Solidarity: Jamal Osman’s Record on Workers’ Rights & Living Wages
October 22, 2025 - Minneapolis, MN
Every paycheck tells a story. For too many Minneapolis workers, that story has meant long hours, unpredictable pay, and corporate systems that treat people as disposable. Jamal Osman has spent his time at City Hall changing that - standing shoulder to shoulder with working people to deliver historic victories for fair pay, worker protections, and dignity on the job.
As the proud DFL- and Labor-endorsed Council Member for Ward 6 - backed by LIUNA Minnesota & North Dakota, AFSCME Council 5, and the Minneapolis Building and Construction Trades Council - Jamal has made one thing clear: Minneapolis runs on labor, and labor deserves respect. His approach combines on-the-ground listening with policy muscle, working directly with unions, state legislators, and grassroots leaders to make sure City Hall delivers results that reach every block and every paycheck.
From immigrant drivers fighting for basic protections to young people searching for a first job, Jamal has led with one belief: when workers thrive, communities rise. His record shows what happens when leadership meets solidarity - policy becomes personal, and progress becomes real.
Fighting for Rideshare Drivers - and Winning
When rideshare drivers across Minneapolis called for fair pay, Jamal listened - and fought to fix it. For years, drivers were excluded from the city’s minimum wage laws because of corporate loopholes. Many were immigrants and parents working 12-hour days and still taking home less than $8 an hour after expenses. Jamal made it his mission to change that.
After months of community meetings, research, and collaboration with the Minnesota Uber/Lyft Drivers Association (MULDA), Jamal co-authored and passed the city’s first Rideshare Minimum Compensation Ordinance in March 2024. The policy guarantees drivers at least $1.40 per mile and $0.51 per minute within city limits - equivalent to the city’s $15.57 hourly minimum wage. The ordinance ensures that rideshare workers are finally recognized as essential contributors to Minneapolis’ transportation network.
He worked closely with his colleagues CM Robin Wonsley and CM Jason Chavez as well as State Senator Omar Fateh, who championed companion legislation at the state level. Their city-state partnership built a united front that extended the fight beyond Minneapolis, inspiring statewide standards for rideshare pay and protections. Together, they demonstrated what coordinated progressive leadership can achieve when local and state government pull in the same direction.
Implementation wasn’t an afterthought. Jamal pressed for accessible, multilingual outreach so drivers knew exactly how their pay would be calculated and where to report violations. He worked with the Civil Rights Department to ensure enforcement mechanisms were strong, transparent, and accountable to drivers - not corporate lobbyists.
Result Delivered:
Thousands of rideshare drivers now earn a living wage. Minneapolis became the first city in the Midwest to guarantee fair pay for gig workers, closing exploitative gaps and setting a national model for worker-led policy change.
“When workers who keep our city moving are paid fairly, we all benefit. This is about closing gaps and standing with those who’ve been overlooked for too long.”
Why this matters:
In neighborhoods like Cedar-Riverside and Elliot Park, rideshare work is one of the most common forms of employment. Jamal’s leadership ensures those drivers - often immigrants and small business owners themselves - can earn a fair wage, support their families, and contribute to a more stable, equitable local economy.
Standing Up to the Mayor - and Standing with Workers
When Mayor Jacob Frey vetoed the ordinance under pressure from corporate lobbyists, Jamal didn’t blink. He organized a veto override and won. With the support of Council Members Robin Wonsley and Jason Chavez, and a coalition of labor and community groups, Jamal helped rally a veto-proof majority on the City Council. On March 14, 2024, the Council voted 10–3 to override the veto, securing the first guaranteed wage protections for rideshare drivers in city history.
It wasn’t just a legislative win - it was a moral stand. Uber and Lyft had threatened to pull service from Minneapolis. Jamal made it clear: if a corporation has to rely on poverty wages, it’s not a sustainable business model. His message resonated beyond City Hall, sparking solidarity actions across the Twin Cities and galvanizing support for workers who had long been invisible in policymaking.
Behind the scenes, Jamal worked to keep communication open between drivers, city staff, and the public, ensuring drivers could share their experiences in real time and that data collected through the ordinance would be used to guide future reforms. This was policymaking not as a transaction, but as a partnership.
Result Delivered:
Veto overridden - fair pay guaranteed for thousands of rideshare drivers, protecting families and proving that city government can stand up to corporate power when it listens to its people.
“Fair pay isn’t optional - it’s a right. Overriding the veto showed that when we stand together, workers win over special interests.”
Why this matters:
By challenging the veto, Jamal protected vulnerable workers and sent a clear signal that the City of Minneapolis stands with labor. This victory reinforced the city’s role as a national leader on worker justice and reminded residents that collective action still delivers real change.
Building Futures from the Ground Up
Economic justice doesn’t stop with wages. Jamal has championed investments that create opportunity - especially for young people and residents building worker-owned businesses. Through his advocacy, the Minneapolis Youth Works program expanded funding for job training, mentorship, and employment for youth ages 14–24. Many participants come from communities facing barriers such as poverty, housing instability, or systemic racism.
In Ward 6, these programs aren’t just about temporary work. Jamal helped align Youth Works with local apprenticeship pipelines and trade unions, creating real pathways to living-wage careers. He’s also supported grants that seed worker-owned cooperatives, giving local residents a stake in their own economic future.
Under Jamal’s leadership, city funding has increasingly prioritized partnerships with neighborhood-based organizations - from small business support in Phillips to entrepreneurship hubs in Ventura Village. The result is a model where economic resilience is built from the ground up, not imposed from above.
Result Delivered:
Hundreds of youth have been connected to training, paid internships, and career opportunities each year. Worker-led cooperatives and small businesses have launched in Ward 6 since 2023, creating sustainable local jobs and long-term community wealth.
“Investing in our youth and worker-led businesses builds stronger communities from the ground up. It’s about creating paths to opportunity that last.”
Why this matters:
Ward 6 has one of the youngest populations in Minneapolis. Jamal’s support for youth employment and worker-owned businesses gives residents a voice in shaping their own futures - and builds a foundation of stability and pride that strengthens the entire city.
Making Wage Theft a Thing of the Past
Every worker deserves to keep what they earn. That principle drove Jamal’s push to strengthen the city’s Labor Standards Enforcement Division. In partnership with AFSCME Council 5 and LIUNA Minnesota & North Dakota, Jamal worked to expand investigative capacity, speed up complaint resolution, and ensure employers who steal wages face real consequences.
Since enhanced enforcement began in 2023, Minneapolis has recovered more than $2 million in stolen wages and damages for workers. These recoveries aren’t abstract figures - they are paychecks returned to restaurant servers, construction workers, janitors, and hotel staff across the city. Jamal has pushed for those enforcement results to be public, transparent, and used to educate employers before violations occur.
He continues to support new funding for outreach in multiple languages and collaboration with trusted community groups, ensuring that every worker - regardless of immigration status or job type - knows their rights and has access to help. Jamal’s focus remains on fairness, prevention, and building trust between workers and local government.
Result Delivered:
Over $2 million in stolen wages recovered for Minneapolis workers. Stronger enforcement tools now ensure wage theft cases are investigated quickly, resolved fairly, and deter repeat offenders citywide.
“No worker should lose what they’ve earned. Strong enforcement means real justice and trust in our system.”
Why this matters:
Wage theft disproportionately impacts low-wage and immigrant workers in neighborhoods like Phillips and Seward. Jamal’s reforms turn accountability into action - putting stolen wages back in families’ pockets and ensuring the promise of fair work reaches everyone, not just those with power.
A City that Stands with Workers
From the first rideshare pay ordinance to record-setting wage recoveries, Jamal Osman has proven that progress happens when leaders and workers pull in the same direction. His leadership has helped thousands of families earn fair pay, strengthened union partnerships, and set a new standard for economic justice across Minnesota.
As Minneapolis moves forward, Jamal continues to champion policies that raise the floor and expand opportunity - including stronger apprenticeship programs, expanded paid sick time, and fair scheduling protections. His goal is clear: make Minneapolis a city where every job pays a living wage, every worker has a voice, and every community can grow with dignity.
Resources and background:
Minneapolis Rideshare Ordinance
Minneapolis Youth Works
Labor Standards Enforcement
LIUNA Minnesota & North Dakota
AFSCME Council 5
Building & Construction Trades Council
DFL Party Platform
Rank Jamal Osman #1 - because fair wages, protections, and dignity are worth fighting for.
Learn more: jamalosman.org
Media Inquiries: info@jamalosman.org
Thank you to the Ward 6 workers, union partners, and advocates who make these victories possible. Together, we are building a fairer Minneapolis. ~ Team Jamal