Having a flexible schedule & not having a boss are two of the best things about working in the “gig economy.” But it’s not enough.
Billions of dollars are pouring into this growing industry — and workers simply aren’t seeing enough of it. Gig workers aren’t covered by the minimum wage. They aren’t receiving compensation for all the time and money they spend working. And they aren’t getting clear breakdowns of the work they’re doing and the pay they’re getting for it.
“Though I personally love the flexibility of the work schedule, all those hours are still hours away from my family, trying to provide for them, and if my time and effort are not compensated fairly, then I am away from them for nothing.”
Most of these apps have strict five-star “rating systems” for their workers. But no one’s rating the companies on how they treat their workers — until now.
App companies love metrics and formulas, so we’re speaking to them in a language they understand and telling them if they want five stars from us, they need to follow these five policies:
★ PAY FOR ALL OUR WORK: Compensate workers for the entire job, including time/mileage spent getting to the passenger, restaurant, business, or client.
★ $15 AFTER EXPENSES: Guarantee a baseline hourly pay of at least $15/hour after expenses for workers who are “on the clock” (logged into their app and actively accepting jobs) — not just during promotions, but on a regular basis.
★ ITEMIZED BREAKDOWN: Give workers an itemized breakdown of pay, including mileage, tips, time, company fees, and other factors.
★ NO TIP THEFT: Pay all tips and “service fees” fully and directly to workers — do not factor tips into base pay or mislead customers into believing “service fees” are being paid to workers.
★ TIMELY PAY: Compensate workers on a timely, regular basis, at least once every two weeks.
Click here to sign on and stand with gig workers: All gig companies should be five-star companies.
“I need a raise. Since I started driving two years ago, my rent goes up every nine months. Every time I renew it, they add more money to the rent. But Uber and Lyft’s rates stay the same.”
These are basics all workers need. We shouldn’t have to ask to be paid for all our work or given an honest breakdown of how much we’re making. But gig workers won’t get these basics unless we hold the companies accountable for providing them. Click here to learn more about these demands and stand with Chris, Marina, and Peter for better pay and pay transparency in the gig economy.
Thanks for your support,
Working Washington
P.S. Once you’ve signed your name, check out Chris, Marina, and Peter’sstories to learn more about what’s going on for workers in the gig economy.
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