Seattle becomes first in U.S. to protect gig workers from sudden 'deactivation'

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."