Here's what gig economy companies and government agencies can do to protect workers’ health during the coronavirus response

DoorDash, Postmates, Instacart, the rest of the gig economy, and government officials

Food delivery workers and others in the gig economy are particularly vulnerable to coronavirus and other harmful pathogens. Food delivery workers cannot simply “work from home”; their work requires them to travel to multiple public store locations over the course of the day, where they are in close contact with significant numbers of people. They also have brief but close contact with multiple customers in their homes.

Further, because these jobs typically pay low wages, workers tend to be particularly financially precarious. And because gig workers are classified as independent contractors, they do not have access to paid sick time under our state or city paid sick days laws, so are also less likely than other workers to be able to simply take time off when sick. Seeing a doctor can be a challenge as well; gig companies do not generally offer healthcare coverage, so gig workers are also less likely than other workers to have a quality, affordable medical plan.

As coronavirus (and associated panic) spreads, it is expected that increasing numbers of people will be placed in quarantine, that others will choose to isolate themselves by spending more of their time at home, and that schools might close. There is some evidence this could increase the use of gig delivery services, resulting in ever more exposure of gig workers. While this increased demand could increase the likelihood of “surge” rates paid to gig workers who typically get paid so little, that financial prospect could also increase the likelihood that they work when they are sick.

The single most valuable thing gig companies can do to address the crisis is to pay workers more money. Improving workers’ economic security is the best long-term solution to ensuring everyone can make thoughtful decisions weighing potential risks to health and potential loss of income.

There also additional immediate steps gig companies can take to slow the spread of the virus and mitigate the potential impact on workers:

  • Companies must be transparent with workers about risks as they learn about them, and about any steps being taken to keep workers and customers safe.

  • Companies must strongly discourage delivery workers from making deliveries face-to-face, and instead switch to a default practice of delivery to the doorstep. Any negative customer ratings issued on this basis should be discarded. Customers who require face-to-face service should be able to request it, but such requests should be shown when a job is offered, and workers should be allowed to accept or reject a given job with that information available.

  • Companies must suspend the practice of penalizing workers for missing scheduled blocks of work, ending shifts early, or rejecting jobs. Health concerns can shift rapidly, and workers must not be discouraged from responding promptly as things develop.

  • Customers isolated based on illness or exposure should be required to flag that status on the app so workers can take protective measures or avoid those particular jobs if they are particularly vulnerable. Those customers must not be charged higher rates, to avoid discouraging them from disclosing their condition.

  • Companies must provide gig workers with paid sick time which is at least the equivalent of what they would have if treated as employees — in Washington state, at least one hour of time accrued for each forty hours worked.

  • Companies must continue to pay workers their average weekly income if they are prevented from working due to a recommendation by public health authorities to temporarily quarantine them due to exposure which occurred while on-app. While it could in some circumstances be an appropriate public health decision to temporarily suspend a worker from an app if they are exposed to coronavirus while working, it is not appropriate for workers to bear the entire financial cost of such a decision. This is part of the companies’ obligation to maintain a healthy workplace.

  • Companies must agree to allow workers to collect unemployment benefits if they are unable to work due to coronavirus or coronavirus response, without challenging the merits of workers’ claims or requiring a lengthy adjudication of their classification status. The same should be true for workers who must stay home to provide care to family members in the event of a school closure, or who are for other reasons unable to work due to coronavirus.

  • Companies must provide workers the option to receive an advance on their future earnings in order to replace any lost income associated with coronavirus. An amount equal to average weekly earnings could be borrowed (without interest) and then paid back as a fraction of future income when the worker is able to return to work.

  • Companies must not permanently deactivate workers who happen to contract coronavirus. Gig workers must be permitted to return to work when recovered.

  • Companies must take affirmative steps to communicate policies of zero tolerance for discrimination and harassment based on perceived racial identity, nation of origin, or any other basis.

Public agencies have a role to play as well. Federal, state and local government must:

  • Specifically allow gig workers to collect unemployment benefits for lost income due to coronavirus, without requiring case-specific adjudication of their employment classification status.

  • Ensure gig companies fulfill their obligation to maintain a safe & healthy workplace, including by following recommendations from public health officials to reduce the spread of the virus.

  • Consider the specific conditions faced by gig workers when making public health recommendations.

  • Mandate that testing for coronavirus be available to the public as recommended by healthcare providers, without any associated cost for the test.

We all have a role to play in limiting the spread of coronavirus. We urge gig companies and public officials to heed these recommendations to step up and do right by workers, customers, and the community at large.


Sponsored by

To: DoorDash, Postmates, Instacart, the rest of the gig economy, and government officials
From: [Your Name]

Food delivery workers and others in the gig economy are particularly vulnerable to coronavirus and other harmful pathogens. Food delivery workers cannot simply “work from home”; their work requires them to travel to multiple public store locations over the course of the day, where they are in close contact with significant numbers of people. They also have brief but close contact with multiple customers in their homes.

Further, because these jobs typically pay low wages, workers tend to be particularly financially precarious. And because gig workers are classified as independent contractors, they do not have access to paid sick time under our state or city paid sick days laws, so are also less likely than other workers to be able to simply take time off when sick. Seeing a doctor can be a challenge as well; gig companies do not generally offer healthcare coverage, so gig workers are also less likely than other workers to have a quality, affordable medical plan.

The single most valuable thing gig companies can do to address the crisis is to pay workers more money. Improving workers’ economic security is the best long-term solution to ensuring everyone can make thoughtful decisions weighing potential risks to health and potential loss of income.

There also additional immediate steps gig companies can take to slow the spread of the virus and mitigate the potential impact on workers — we urge employers and the state to heed the specific recommendations offered by Working Washington to step up and do right by workers, customers, and the community at large.