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Seattle City Council mandates paid sick time for gig workers during pandemic

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Drivers for Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Grubhub, and other delivery services will soon be eligible for paid sick time off in Seattle while the city remains in a state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Seattle City Council unanimously approved legislation Monday that requires gig economy companies to provide paid sick and safe time to the workers who power their services. A spokesperson for Mayor Jenny Durkan told The Seattle Times that she intends to sign the legislation.

“Hiring entities” like Uber will have to pay workers their “average daily compensation” that they earn using the app. The mandate will remain in effect for 180 days after the state of emergency expires. The law covers people who provide delivery and transportation services using an app in Seattle.

Drivers for delivery services are considered essential as thousands of people in Seattle and beyond isolate at home to slow the spread of COVID-19. But the shortfalls of gig work arrangements that don’t receive the benefits of traditional employees are laid bare by the pandemic.

Uber and Lyft do provide funds to drivers who are diagnosed with COVID-19 or asked to quarantine by a public health agency, but that is a limited pool due to the nation’s slow testing progress.

Early on in the pandemic, one Uber driver told GeekWire he hoped to contract the virus in order to get some relief as he saw his earnings plummet overnight.

“When workers have access to paid sick and safe leave, they don’t make impossible choices between staying home and recovering or getting paid,” said Seattle City Council member Teresa Mosqueda in a statement. “Sick and safe leave leads to healthier communities – and we need that now, especially, during the COVID-19 crisis.”

Mosqueda sponsored the legislation.

Lyft warned that Seattle’s legislation could make it difficult for drivers to access federal relief funds authorized by the stimulus package passed last month. The federal bill allowed gig workers to access unemployment and other benefits for the first time.

“We share the Council’s goal of helping drivers get through this crisis, which is why we’re providing funds to those who are diagnosed with COVID-19,” a spokesperson for Lyft said in a statement. “But the Council’s bill forces drivers to forfeit thousands of dollars in federal relief funds that include paid sick leave, jeopardizing their ability to support themselves when they fall ill.”

An Uber spokesperson noted that the company provides personal protective equipment and financial assistance to drivers when asked about Seattle’s legislation.

“We have significant concerns about the Seattle City Council considering emergency measures that single out one sector without meaningful input from the public or groups that may be affected,” the spokesperson said. “We are currently reviewing the latest version of the PSST ordinance.”

The Seattle City Council is considering separate emergency legislation that would require companies like Uber and Grubhub to pay drivers $5 for each delivery or ride they provide, on top of their regular rates. The hazard pay is intended to offset costs and risks that drivers are dealing with during the pandemic, like acquiring protective gear and cleaning vehicles between trips. That legislation is still in discussions.

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