July 24 - 26: #AppBlackOut
NO MORE BUSINESS AS USUAL:
STAND UP, LOG OUT.
THE CALL TO ACTION
In the last month, as hundreds of protests have sparked a national conversation about the movement for Black lives, gig companies have been quick to release corporate PR statements opposing racism.
But over a month later, what have we actually seen from companies like Instacart, DoorDash, Postmates, Uber, and Shipt when it comes to addressing racism?
Some of these companies have done nothing more than send an email. Others have created internal teams to address race equity. Some have donated to Black community organizations or services. But not a single CEO has taken the single most important step: addressing the racism their own companies perpetuate, and treating their own Black workers fairly.
Gig companies build their businesses on exploiting workers of color, particularly Black & immigrant workers. Gig companies claim to stand against racism — but they pay sub-minimum wages to thousands of Black workers who rely on gig income, creating deeper & deeper inequality in our country. Beyond deepening inequality on a large scale, gig companies also fail to account for the discrimination & bias Black workers face on the job, and defend corporate policies that result in lower pay & worse treatment for Black workers.
It’s easy for gig companies to use their PR firms to craft corporate anti-racism statements. But they need to begin by addressing the racism in their own business models. That’s why a collective of Black gig workers & allies are demanding big changes from gig companies:
⮕ Pay standard of at least minimum wage + expenses, with a default gratuity of 20%.
⮕ No biased customer ratings used to penalize gig workers.
⮕ No biased arrest / traffic records used to deactivate or refuse work to gig workers.
⮕ System to report discrimination & harassment from businesses & customers.
HOW TO TAKE PART in the #AppBlackout: 7/24 - 7/26
From Friday 7/24 to Sunday 7/26, join Black gig workers & allies in our #AppBlackOut action, when we will all log off the apps in support of Black gig workers’ demands. Here’s how to participate during the #AppBlackOut weekend of action:
Whether you’re a worker, a customer, or simply a supporter, here’s how you can help:
⮕ Read the demands below.
⮕ Sign on to stand with Black gig workers & get more info on how you can participate each day of the action.
⮕ From 7/24 - 7/26: If you’re a gig worker, do not work on apps including Instacart, DoorDash, Postmates, Grubhub, Uber Eats, Shipt, GoPuff, and Caviar. If you’re a customer, don’t use the apps.
⮕ Share this page on Twitter & Facebook to spread the word. Amplify workers’ voices by sharing their demands, using the hashtag #AppBlackOut, and encouraging your friends & family to turn off the apps from July 24 to July 26.
BLACK GIG WORKERS’ DEMANDS for instacart, postmates, doordash, uber, shipt, & grubhub
- Create uniform pay standards — at least minimum wage plus the cost of all expenses, with a default gratuity of at least 20% — to mitigate the impact of racism in tipping.
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Tipping has a history rooted in racism — from its origin after the abolition of slavery as a means to continue devaluing Black workers’ labor, to minimum wage laws that exclude tipped workers, many of whom are people of color, to this day.
We also know that tips continue to disadvantage workers of color when it comes to earning potential: on average, workers of color make far less in tips than white workers. In the restaurant industry, Latinx workers are tipped 86% of what white workers make, while Black workers are tipped 79%, and Asian workers are tipped 68%.
Paying workers as little as $2/hour and forcing them to rely on tips means Black workers make less, and it continues the racist legacy of using tips as a way to justify paying Black workers below the minimum wage.
- End policies that penalize or deactivate workers based on their ratings from customers.
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Many Black workers experience lower ratings due to bias from customers. This particularly impacts immigrant workers, who customers may give lower ratings to based on language barriers or accents.
Many apps use low ratings to punish workers or even deactivate them from the app. Others create the illusion that they’re just helping workers by offering “priority” or additional job offers to workers with higher ratings — but in reality, these systems have the same result: they prevent workers from accessing work based on low ratings.
Since ratings can be lower based on customer bias, they shouldn’t be used to determine how workers are treated or how much access they get to work.
- Do not deactivate or refuse to hire workers based on criminal records that have no direct impact on their work, or parking & traffic violations.
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On many platforms, any arrest or criminal record is enough to prevent workers from joining the platform. And on most, minor citations like traffic or parking tickets are enough to get workers deactivated from the app, leaving them with no income and no recourse.
Police & the criminal justice system disproportionately target Black communities. Since Black workers are likelier to face unjust policing, be pulled over, or simply work in neighborhoods that are monitored by law enforcement, policies that prevent workers from accessing income based on their records are discriminatory & must be ended.
- Create a system, run by a third-party organization, for gig workers to report racism & discrimination — and remove discriminatory businesses & customers from the apps.
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Black gig workers face discrimination on the job every day, from customers who use racist language, to restaurant staff who demand ID or refuse to serve workers of color, to grocery store security guards who racially profile workers & follow them in the store or falsely accuse them of shoplifting.
Right now, gig workers are given no support when they encounter racism on the job. Gig companies’ support services for workers are notoriously unresponsive, and there’s no clear way to report harassment or discrimination to the apps. Most gig workers can’t even avoid being matched with restaurants or customers who have discriminated against them.
Gig workers need the power to take action when they are impacted by racism at work, and gig companies have a responsibility to protect their workers from discrimination & harassment.
We know we can’t trust app companies to manage these issues themselves, so gig companies must contract with a third-party nonprofit organization to manage these complaints & take action on them.
STAND UP, LOG OUT.
Black gig workers are vital to our communities, and companies have a responsibility to make meaningful change to dismantle racism. Workers are calling for bold, systemic change in the gig economy, and we need your support.
Whether you’re a worker or a customer, you can join the #AppBlackOut: Raise up Black gig workers’ demands by logging out from all food delivery apps from July 24 to 26.