Uber Eats to pay $4.4M to more than 14,000 workers after violating Seattle’s labor laws

More than 14,000 Uber Eats workers are set to receive a share of nearly $4.4 million under a settlement with Seattle’s Office of Labor Standards (OLS).

According to the City of Seattle, Uber Eats failed to consistently provide required minimum payments for time worked, including for certain canceled orders.

“Seattle works hard to protect workers’ rights, and this multi-million-dollar settlement shows the impact,” Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said. “By enforcing workplace rights, including in the rapidly growing industry of app-based work, we hold large companies accountable. This is a win for the workers who are a critical part of our local economy and for Seattle as an equitable city for everyone who works, lives, and visits here.”

The settlement includes back pay, interest, damages, and penalties. This settlement followed a separate $1.4 million settlement with Uber Eats last summer.

This is the second-largest settlement for OLS. The largest, also involving Uber Eats, occurred last year, when the company agreed to pay more than $15 million to approximately 16,000 drivers for violating Seattle’s pay transparency law for independent contractors.

“The law is clear — Uber Eats should have paid workers the money it owed them because of canceled orders, as well as when some of the work occurred inside Seattle,” OLS Director Steven Marchese stated. “This settlement is about fairness and accountability. We want to send a clear message to all network companies operating in Seattle, including Uber Eats, that we will enforce the law to ensure workers receive every dollar they’ve earned.”

Approximately 35,000 workers drive and work for Uber Eats in Seattle.

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