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Not much good has come out of the Covid-19 pandemic but one new law, pushed into action by Covid-19, could positively change the working landscape for gig workers.
When gig based work started decreasing due to the pandemic and stay at home orders, gig workers found themselves struggling to make ends meet with no financial help in sight. After a few weeks of living under the blight of Covid-19, Uber, Lyft and others started to put together agreements to pay drivers and delivery personnel who missed work because of the virus. Now Seattle is on the cusp of making sick pay for gig workers law in their city.
Last week, an emergency ordinance was passed by the Seattle City Council that required app-based companies such as Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, and Instacart to pay their workers a “form of sick pay”, based on the number of days they’ve worked for the company and the amount they have earned. According to Wired, the Mayor, Jenny Durkan, said she will sign the bill.
This news is a big win for gig workers after a rough few months. During the height of the pandemic Uber and Lyft drivers were viewed as essential workers yet they were not given any proper personal protection equipment necessary to complete their job. On top of that, gig-workers were not eligible for unemployment aid until the CARES act was passed. Even after the act was passed, allowing gig workers to claim unemployment, many workers talked about the difficulties in accessing the aid.
For drivers, sick pay has been a big topic on their agenda. Their reasoning was that, as essential workers, they shouldn’t have to choose between providing for their families or driving around passengers while sick and potentially spreading the disease further.
The new Seattle ordinance, is giving companies a choice for how to handle sick pay. Companies with gig workers can either grant workers one day of paid sick leave for every 30 days they’ve signed on to work for the app since October 2019, or give everyone five days and then another day for each 30 after that. Further the ordinance states that the money a worker will be eligible for on their sick day is the average of what that worker was paid per working day, including all bonuses and tips.
RIDEGURU
Comments
The new law is an important step in protecting the rights and welfare of workers. The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the vulnerability of gig workers, with no financial support during the crisis and inadequate protection in the provision of essential services. I am a night school student, and this is exactly what I wanted to explore in detail as part of my law assignment. I am not good at writing, but with the help of https://essays.edubirdie.com/law-essay-writing I can produce a quality paper and present it to the committee. Finally, as a gig worker, I recognize the need for flexibility in the law on sick leave, allowing companies to adapt their policies according to their employees' service length.
It's heartening to see that steps are being taken to address the well-being of these drivers, who often work tirelessly to meet the demands of passengers like myself. It's important to recognize that ride-sharing drivers are essentially independent contractors, which means they don't have the same employee benefits and protections as those in traditional jobs. The introduction of "sick pay" could be a game-changer, as it acknowledges the realities of gig work and offers a safety net for drivers who may fall ill or need time off for health-related reasons. While I understand that implementing such a system may pose challenges in terms of logistics and costs, it's a positive move toward greater fairness and social responsibility. It not only benefits the drivers but also ensures safer rides for passengers by reducing the chances of drivers working when they're not feeling well. https://ssa-office.com/org/social-security-office-in-hattiesburg/