Landmark ordinance would ensure paid sick days for delivery workers & Uber/Lyft drivers for first time
Workers to give comment Monday urging City Council to pass breakthrough paid sick days law
A landmark new ordinance introduced by Seattle City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda would for the first time ensure gig delivery workers and TNC drivers receive paid sick days, regardless of whether they are classified as employees or contractors.
Who: Gig food delivery workers & TNC drivers
What: Share their experiences as essential workers during the pandemic, and urge Seattle City Council to support Councilmember Mosqueda’s proposed paid sick days law. They will also urge action to require hazard pay for essential gig workers.
When: MONDAY, May 18th, 2020:
- Council Briefing on proposed ordinance at 9:30am
- Public Comment from gig workers at 2:00pm meeting
Where: Seattle City Council Online meetings are broadcast online at: http://www.seattle.gov/council/watch-council-live
Workers providing public comment are also available for interviews — contact Sage Wilson of Working Washington to arrange: sage@workingwa.org
Thousands of gig delivery workers and Uber/Lyft drivers who work in Seattle have been classified as essential workers during the coronavirus crisis, but they are still denied the essential protections to protect their health and provide basic economic security. These workers are providing a critical service during the pandemic but are not covered by the city’s minimum wage law, have received no hazard pay, often lack access to basic safety supplies and even bathrooms, and don’t receive any paid sick days.
Councilmember Mosqueda’s proposed ordinance — to be discussed before Council on Monday — would take a critical first step towards ensuring essential protections for these essential workers with a first-in-the-nation policy to provide paid sick days specifically for gig workers. The ordinance would:
Provide gig delivery workers & TNC drivers with ongoing access to paid sick days throughout the coronavirus emergency, accrued on the basis of one sick day for every 30 days worked.
Immediately protect public health by providing workers immediate access to sick days, calculated on the basis of days worked back to October.
Require payment for a sick day based on a workers’ average daily compensation on days worked, including tips, bonuses, and other compensation.
Maximize flexibility around workers' ability to use sick days.
The ordinance will be briefed to Council on Monday, May 18th, and could be voted as soon as Tuesday, May 26th.
###
Contact: Sage Wilson, Working Washington: 206-227-6014, sage@workingwa.org
Working Washington is the voice for workers in our state.