Posted on Aug 9, 2023
Seattle becomes first in U.S. to protect gig workers from sudden 'deactivation'
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The Seattle City Council passed legislation Tuesday that would protect gig workers from being suddenly kicked off apps like Instacart or DoorDash.
It’s the first gig worker protection measure of its kind in the entire country.
“This will help prevent homelessness, fight displacement, and allow families to meet their basic needs,” said Councilmember Lisa Herbold, who sponsored the bill.
According to Herbold, gig workers are being unfairly terminated, or "deactivated," as the companies call it. Workers told the council of being kicked off an app for refusing too many orders, for example, or for delays that are beyond their control.
“They actually open up the app to begin the work and they're not able to access it without receiving any advanced notice, much less an opportunity to dispute it,” Herbold told KUOW. "Often, there's an algorithm that makes the decision so it's not even a real person who's making the decision to deactivate the worker."
It’s the first gig worker protection measure of its kind in the entire country.
“This will help prevent homelessness, fight displacement, and allow families to meet their basic needs,” said Councilmember Lisa Herbold, who sponsored the bill.
According to Herbold, gig workers are being unfairly terminated, or "deactivated," as the companies call it. Workers told the council of being kicked off an app for refusing too many orders, for example, or for delays that are beyond their control.
“They actually open up the app to begin the work and they're not able to access it without receiving any advanced notice, much less an opportunity to dispute it,” Herbold told KUOW. "Often, there's an algorithm that makes the decision so it's not even a real person who's making the decision to deactivate the worker."
Seattle becomes first in U.S. to protect gig workers from sudden 'deactivation'
Posted from kuow.org
Seattle
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Posted 10 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."In the end, the measure passed the council 6-2, with council members Sara Nelson and Alex Pedersen voting against it. Both said one reason for their no vote is that the ordinance includes workers for “marketplace network company apps,” such as Rover and TaskRabbit, where gig workers set their own rates and contract directly with people in their homes. Other gig-worker laws that passed recently in the city excluded those workers, but this one did not, Nelson said.
The measure goes next to Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell's desk, where he is expected to sign it into law."
..."In the end, the measure passed the council 6-2, with council members Sara Nelson and Alex Pedersen voting against it. Both said one reason for their no vote is that the ordinance includes workers for “marketplace network company apps,” such as Rover and TaskRabbit, where gig workers set their own rates and contract directly with people in their homes. Other gig-worker laws that passed recently in the city excluded those workers, but this one did not, Nelson said.
The measure goes next to Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell's desk, where he is expected to sign it into law."
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