A growing list of states across the US — from Washington state to New York, Illinois, and California — have issued “shelter in place” orders to mitigate the coronavirus crisis. Specifics vary from place to place, but there’s at least one thing all these orders have in common: they’ve all declared restaurant, grocery, and package delivery to be “essential work” that should continue during the shutdown.

As gig workers, our work is, in fact, essential — especially now.

So why aren’t we getting the essential protections all workers need in this time of crisis?

Many of us were already living on the edge thanks to the subminimum wages companies pay. But instead of making sure we can make it through this crisis, gig companies are profiting off of the boost to their business.

They’re doing nothing to support workers who can’t work. They’re not even providing the protections we need to do our jobs safely. And most disturbingly: they’re taking credit for the work we’re doing to keep our communities safe and at home — while they completely fail to provide paid leave to ensure their own workers can stay home if we’re sick.

Companies like Postmates, DoorDash, and Instacart have billions of dollars at their disposal. They cannot shift the burden onto workers who are already on the brink of financial crisis. They have a responsibility to protect the people doing this essential work — and they have a responsibility to their customers, partners, and the public too.

We need long-term economic security so a public crisis or personal emergency doesn’t push us over the edge — a pay floor for independent contractors, transparency, and basic rights & benefits. Right now, we also need immediate action to get us through the crisis.

To fulfill their responsibility to their workers and to the health of our communities, gig companies must take these steps to protect public health & provide basic economic security. And the local leaders who deem our work “essential” must ensure workers get these basic protections from companies that continue operating during this crisis.

During the coronavirus crisis, gig companies must provide:

• A minimum of 14 days of unrestricted, immediate paid leave, plus access to additional leave when necessary, so that workers can stay at home to protect ourselves and the public.
• Hazard pay of $5 for every delivery and an additional $5 for any job that includes shopping to acknowledge the risk we’re taking on and the extra time and attention our work now takes.
• Protection & safety standards on the job — give us the supplies we need to stay safe, like gloves, hand sanitizer, and disinfectant, and contactless delivery as the default to reduce the risk of exposure on the job.
• Compensation for lost income — don’t block workers from receiving unemployment benefits, and commit to provide aid for workers who aren’t eligible, so this crisis doesn’t push us over the edge.

This is a matter not only of protecting workers, but protecting our communities. Gig workers are on the front lines of this crisis. If leaders and companies are counting on us to keep our cities running, supplies delivered, and families fed, we need to be able to count on them too.