“I ended up losing money on the order because I had to pay $150 for a tow truck.”

Kania K., Instacart and DoorDash worker, Seattle

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In 2020, I started working on Instacart and DoorDash. I do gig work because I need to be with my son more, and that means I need more flexible time. When I worked in corporate retail, I couldn’t have the same days off regularly, which messed up my toddler’s emotional wellbeing. More flexible work means I can provide him with my emotional and physical presence.

But the flipside is that because of extremely low pay in the gig economy, I’m unable to have good medical insurance and can barely afford rent.

We work hard and take on so many risks. While corporate is making billions, we’re risking our lives.

Last Christmas, I was driving in the snow. It was dark and dangerous, but I had to make extra money to pay rent. My Prius gave up and got stuck in the snow, halfway in the ditch and halfway in the road, a mile from my customer’s house. The customer had to walk to me to get their order. Thankfully, they were very nice. I offered to cut my tips due to my inability to reach them.

I ended up losing money because I had to pay $150 for a tow truck to help move my car. Instacart didn’t help me at all.

We are risking our lives, and the compensation is humiliating.

We need to be protected and paid more. We do everything to do the job well and satisfy customers. Gig companies have gotten away with paying subminimum wages for too long, and it’s time to make them Pay Up.