“Each order only pays $4. Sometimes that doesn’t even cover our gas and mileage costs!”
Wei Lin, GoPuff worker, Seattle
I’ve worked at GoPuff since February 2020, and I really need the PayUp policy to pass.
GoPuff works a little differently from other delivery apps. They own warehouses that deliver straight to customers, and this allows them to advertise super-fast delivery times. When we work with GoPuff, we have to clock in to the warehouse and wait for our turn if there are lines of drivers also waiting. Sometimes it takes more than 90 minutes waiting for just one single order. And those times that we are waiting are not covered by any pay at all, but at our own risk.
I have to put in 70 or 80 hours a week just to get by.
This past year, GoPuff has been continuously changing the methods they pay with for no reason. GoPuff used to offer an hourly subsidy rate for the shifts we worked, so our wait time at the warehouse at least paid something. That rate was already far too low — at $16.75 an hour, it was below Seattle’s minimum wage even before accounting for all the mileage we put on our cars and other expenses we cover as contractors.
Now, GoPuff took away our guaranteed pay shift blocks, so we have to wait at the warehouse for our orders with no pay for all that time. GoPuff business can differ a lot based on the time of day — sometimes we only get one order per hour. Each order only pays $4. Sometimes that doesn’t even cover our gas and mileage costs!
Every time GoPuff changes its pay, it has a huge impact on drivers’ income. Taking away our guaranteed pay shift blocks that cut down our earnings tremendously. And the new system they are using only sends out one bag order at a time, so most of the drivers have increased their mileage and gas cost on the car, but aren’t earning more to cover it.
GoPuff stretched their delivery zone for more business, and increased the delivery fee for the customers and third-party apps.
But drivers still earn less and less on each bag order.
It’s very important to make sure drivers can make minimum wage. Even a minimum rate on each single trip or round trip will really help the drivers.
Gig drivers are hardworking people. We risk our safety and health during night and days. Most of us are actually doing double the overtime during the pandemic. As GoPuff drivers we aren’t even receiving the PSST Seattle mandated for us as an emergency policy, because these big corporations think they can manipulate driver so easily.
They want to control our rightful incomes to make their business go well, and all of us workers want just some fair pay.
Not much, just enough to make sure we can survive in this city.
Enough to live out the inflation and other economic impacts to us. Enough to have a bowl of cereal. Enough for the family, for ourselves, for Seattle.