Seattle Restaurants United — Why we support the #PayUp policy
Seattle Restaurants United is a coalition of 240 restaurant owners around the city, and is proud to support the PayUp legislation.
Here’s why:
April 26, 2022
Dear City Councilmembers, Mayor Harrell, and staff,
I’m writing on behalf of Seattle Restaurants United in support of moving promptly to advance the PayUp policies to establish labor standards for more than 40,000 food delivery workers and other gig workers in the city. The members of Seattle Restaurants United are business owners who want to see our city and economy reflect our values of community hospitality. We believe that when the most marginalized in our communities are truly cared for, it’s good for our business, it’s good for our customers, and it’s good for our city. That’s why we urge you to support the PayUp policies advanced by Councilmember Herbold and end the exclusion of gig workers from basic labor standards.
Over the past few years and especially since the pandemic, delivery apps have become an increasing part of the restaurant business. More & more of our members make use of these apps, depending on delivery to keep business moving during tough times and serve customers where they are. These apps certainly present challenges to restaurants, charging large commissions and sometimes even listing restaurant menus without permission. The City Council’s moves to impose a commission cap on restaurants during the pandemic and require apps to get permission before listing restaurants on their apps were good initial steps to help rebalance that power differential and make sure these multi-billion dollar companies aren’t preying on our communities and local businesses.
Gig workers need protection too — which is why we support the PayUp policies. As progressive business owners, we support the principle that every worker should be paid enough to pay their bills and nourish their families, especially hospitality workers. This is a key value shared by many in Seattle, and it’s also good economics: we’re all better off when people who make, serve, and deliver food can afford food themselves. And that’s true whether they worker for a small restaurant or a big chain, whether they are full-time or part-time, and whether they pick up a shift through a staffing app or do jobs every day as a gig delivery driver for an app.
The PayUp policies would ensure that delivery workers and other app-based workers are protected by basic labor standards: paid at least minimum wage after expenses, with protections for their flexibility, transparency, and other basic rights. SRU has participated in many stakeholder meetings on this policy over the past year, and know it is a thoughtful, well-considered approach that will ensure basic protections for food delivery workers and other gig workers. It creates a strong floor to protect against the exploitation of our workforce and ensures these workers aren’t excluded from basic labor standards like minimum wage.
A recent survey found half of gig workers reported they had less than $100 in their bank account at some point over the past year, and 36% said they are sometimes unable to afford groceries and other basic items. This workforce made up of immigrants, people of color, and single parents have helped restaurants survive. They have brought food to the community when many were afraid or unable to leave our homes. These are the hard-working people in our community who are doing the delivery for the delivery apps. Yet, DoorDash, GrubHub, and Uber Eats chose to pay these essential workers just a few dollars a job — even though without them, the system would not function. Meanwhile, these companies are worth billions, and the CEO of DoorDash was paid $400 million last year.
As a community, we cannot recover from COVID without thriving restaurants in our city. And that means making sure everyone working in our industry is paid enough to support themselves, whether they’re bringing your dinner to your table or your front door. It’s a simple recipe for a thriving economy: when more people have more money that means more customers for more businesses.
This policy needs to be a priority for action in the next few months. Now is the time for these apps to Pay Up.
Sincerely,