The following is a media release from Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s office. She was elected by voters in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to serve the state in Washington DC in the US Senate. She is a Democrat.
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WASHINGTON DC – United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent letters to the CEOs of DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats, and Instacart, urging them to reclassify their delivery workers as employees, rather than independent contractors, and provide appropriate pay, benefits, and protections during the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
By continuing to misclassify these workers as independent contractors, the food delivery companies exclude their workers from critical labor rights and protections.
“Delivery workers are experiencing serious health and economic vulnerabilities as a result of their jobs, and your company is failing to provide appropriate and necessary protections,” Senator Warren wrote. “I urge you to reclassify your delivery workers as employees, rather than independent contractors, and ensure they are provided a full suite of employee protections and benefits.”
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In her letter, Senator Warren calls on each company to do the following:
- Guarantee at least 14 days of paid leave time to all workers and allow them to take this leave if they have symptoms of or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, or if they need to take care of children or other family members
- Provide protective equipment such as masks, gloves, and cleaning supplies at no cost to all delivery workers
- Allow employees to have access to the same safety options as customers, such as requesting “no contact delivery”
- Pay delivery workers a guaranteed minimum wage, and provide additional pay for the increased risk they are taking on by continuing to work during this pandemic
- Immediately share driver wage data with relevant state agencies to ensure workers who become unemployed can access unemployment relief without delay
“The coronavirus pandemic has illustrated how much your company is completely reliant on these workers to provide essential services to the public. In this public health emergency, it is more important than ever to fairly compensate these workers and provide the health and safety protections they deserve. I urge you to rise to the imperative of this public health crisis by providing paid leave, fair compensation, and adequate health and safety protections for all your workers,” concluded the senator.
MetroWest Medical Center