“I am a 76-year-old gig worker.”

Kay Vanderburg, Doordash/Grubhub worker, Seattle

My name is Kay Vanderburg and I am a 76 year old gig worker. I have been a gig worker working for GrubHub and DoorDash for around 6 to 7 years now. I got into gig work to help supplement my Social Security checks, which I live off of check to check. If I were to try to live with just my Social Security checks, I would likely be homeless. I rely on gig work.

Although my medical conditions have not really bothered me that much, I have double curvature of the spine, and I have had Stage 5 CKD Kidney Disease for about 5 years now. The doctors wanted to put me on dialysis 5 years ago, but I said no because I wanted better quality of life. I need and appreciate the flexibility of my work as sometimes it will take me a bit longer to do things because of my lower back.

Recently, I needed to take some sick days off work and found out DoorDash is required to pay sick pay under a Seattle emergency law won by workers. I needed to go through so many hoops to make sure I could use the sick days. After taking those sick days off, I attempted to return to the app only to find that my email address no longer worked. I was unable to login and was deactivated with no warning. I sent in my appeal but was told it could take up to 10 business days to get a response. I have had to take more work with GrubHub which is not the most sustainable but I am managing to do okay.

This is typical response to a complaint or problem on GrubHub. No documentation of the complaint, just that is has been resolved.

Other than my health, I have other limitations because of my age. I can’t lift heavy things like water for big deliveries. The platforms are very annoying and hard to get help from when there are problems. There seems to be something between workers and the apps that limits our ability to contact help or even the customers. I tried to resolve issues with both the apps for over a year now. I have not gotten any support from the apps and have spent countless hours with DoorDash.

Safety has been a frequent issue. There are certain areas or restaurants where I do not feel safe. I need the flexibility to be able to avoid unsafe areas. I have been threatened by people while trying to walk to my car. We gig workers are risking our lives doing this job, going to unsafe areas, and also exposing ourselves to COVID to help people. I told the apps multiple times that they should take specific unsafe restaurants off of orders but they have not listened.

We need the PayUp policies because we need clear ways to interface with our customers and the app themselves. We need the flexibility required for workers who are older and have disabilities like me to be able to make a living. Passing these policies would make a great deal of difference and make the job easier and take off some of the burden I face while working.