SEATTLE — DoorDash has reached a settlement with the City of Seattle for violating the city's Gig Worker Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance.
The $1.6 million settlement follows an investigation by the city's Office of Labor Standards. Under the settlement, the food delivery network company will pay $1.1 million in Paid Sick and Safe Time credits to 26,500 workers, $500,064 to 648 workers and $8,629 to the city in fines.
The Office of Labor Standards opened the investigation following worker complaints in 2022 alleging that DoorDash failed to establish an accessible system for workers to request and use sick time. Additionally, workers alleged DoorDash failed to compensate workers in a timely fashion and didn't provide a monthly notice of paid sick and safe time balance information to all its Seattle workforce for two months.
The 2022 investigation is the second into DoorDash for alleged violations under the gig worker ordinance. In a previous 2021 settlement, the Office of Labor Standards alleged the company, as a successor to a previous hiring entity, failed to accurately credit some workers with paid sick and safe days.
The Gig Worker Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance went into effect on July 13, 2020. As of Jan. 1, 2023, Transportation Network Companies of 250 or more gig workers worldwide are no longer covered by the ordinance, but are covered by a new state law. As of May 1, 2023, Food Delivery Network Companies are no longer covered by the ordinance, but are covered by a new city law called App-Based Worker Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance.
“Seattle has led the way in providing gig worker protections during the most crucial times of the pandemic when workers put their health and the health of their loved ones at possible risk,” said Labor and Standards Director Steven Marchese. “OLS will continue to enforce gig worker protections and all Seattle labor standards while providing support to businesses to ensure compliance.”