‘Every dollar matters’: Walmart to pay nearly $120K to Seattle gig workers after settling alleged labor violations

Walmart will pay nearly $120,000 to 413 affected workers after the company settled allegations with the Office of Labor Standards (OLS).

OLS investigated Walmart’s Spark Delivery for alleged violations of the App-Based Worker Minimum Payment Ordinance, and Walmart settled the allegations by agreeing to pay $119,528 to the impacted workers and $2,455 to the City of Seattle, OLS announced.

OLS alleged that Walmart had failed to give workers minimum payment for offers, upfront information, 24-hour electronic receipts, weekly receipts, and notice of rights in accordance with the ordinance.

“Thanks to app-based workers coming forward with complaints, the OLS enforcement team was able to investigate and uncover multiple violations of the minimum payment law,” OLS Director Steven Marchese said. “By resolving this investigation with Walmart, OLS continues to hold companies accountable when they fail to comply with Seattle labor laws.”

Seattle worker advocates called the settlement a win for gig worker transparency

During the investigative period, Walmart had more than 400 workers in Seattle and thousands of workers worldwide.

“This settlement with one of the world’s largest multinational corporations underscores why app-based workers fought so hard to win transparency protections,” Danielle Alvarado, executive director of Fair Work Center/Working Washington, said. “As a result of worker organizing, Seattle’s ordinance requires apps to provide workers with all the pay they are owed and, just as crucially, the records to verify that pay is accurate. We are proud to live in a city that demonstrates its commitment to invest the public resources needed to enforce workers’ rights and hold corporations accountable.”

Gig worker Bridgette Smallbeck-Poehler spoke to the many reasons why gig workers deserve to be properly compensated for their work, and what pushed her to speak out against Walmart.

“Gig workers deserve to be treated fairly and paid for the work they do,” Smallbeck-Poehler said. “We use our own vehicles, cover our own expenses, and dedicate our time to getting the job done, yet too often the compensation doesn’t reflect that reality. As a single mother, every dollar matters, and standing up for what is right is not always easy.

“I chose to speak up because I believed something was wrong, and OLS listened,” she continued. “Their investigation showed that workers’ voices matter and that [companies] must be held accountable. I hope this outcome encourages other gig workers to know they are not powerless. When we stand up for ourselves, we can create meaningful change.”

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