DoorDash to pay out $15,000 to settle claim it violated Seattle sick-pay laws

Food delivery service DoorDash is paying to settle claims alleging that it violated Seattle’s wage and sick-pay laws.

Ten drivers will share $15,000 in back pay, interest and fines. Additionally, DoorDash is voluntarily dividing almost $145,000 in smaller payments among 891 Caviar workers to cover unused sick or family leave time. Those days were accrued by Caviar drivers prior to the company being acquired by DoorDash.

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“Many Seattle drivers have been disproportionately impacted during the pandemic by a lack of standard worker protections and faced challenges accessing unemployment and healthcare,” Seattle Office of Labor and Standards (OLS) Director Steven Marchese said in a written release. “App-Based Workers are essential to our community. During the pandemic, businesses and consumers relied on drivers for deliveries. Now more than ever, drivers are a vital part of our economy as we move toward fully reopening.”

This came as a result of a June 2020 law passed by Seattle City Council giving paid sick time to gig workers during the pandemic. That’s seen over $470,00 paid out to over 6,000 workers, with OLS resolving six investigations related to that ordinance.