“They don’t like experienced drivers because we know all their tricks.”
Kidane Beyene, former Amazon Flex & Instacart worker, Seattle
I used to be a cab driver, and in 2014 I started working as an independent contractor with gig companies like Amazon, Instacart, and Uber.
In this country, the gap between the rich and the poor is getting larger, and the middle class is diminishing. This is because the lack of regulations in the workforce, especially when it comes to gig companies with independent contractors. Gig companies are still not regulated to give rights to workers.
Gig companies make millions of dollars, while each independent contractor working under them makes less than minimum wage.
They write the rules for their advantage. If a contractor doesn’t follow the rules set before them, they will become a victim.
Companies deactivate either temporarily or permanently, and there’s no place to ask the reason why they closed your account. For example, Amazon will close a contractor’s account and allow ten days to send your side of the story, but they don’t explain why they’ve deactivated you or provide any explanation whether you’re getting reactivated or not.
After three years of working on Amazon Flex, I was deactivated because they said my daily selfie didn’t match a prior photo that was taken.
I was sent an email stating I didn’t fulfill my agreement as an independent contractor. No other explanation was given. We all know that AI has yet to understand the nuances of facial recognition, especially for people of color. This is another way to be discriminated against, and it’s why transparency is needed.
We don’t actually have a right to appeal, even though Amazon says we do.
I emailed Amazon many times to get an answer, and I was just told that my account is permanently deactivated.
I asked if I could come to a physical location to show them that I am who I say I am. But they don’t care. They get thousands of drivers every day, so they don’t care about an experienced driver like me staying. Once we get used to the system and start to understand how to make money, they don’t want us anymore. They don’t like experienced drivers because we know all their tricks — if they try to give us $40 for two hours, and send us all the way to Federal Way, we know we won’t make any money because it takes so long to get there and then get back for your next block.
If you spend three or four hours on it, you end up making $10 an hour.
In order to live, you have to put food on the table, and pay rent and other expenses. These can be a big burden to gig workers who aren’t making much money to begin with, only to be deactivated in a split second through an algorithm. When companies deactivate you for no reason and you don’t have other means to cover your immediate expenses, the pain is enormous.
When I contacted the Office of Labor Standards about my deactivation, I was told because I’m a contractor, I don’t qualify for assistance.
It shouldn’t matter whether we’re independent contractors or employees — we should be protected.
Labor must have clear rules and regulations. This is why transparency, accountability, and setting standards are important.
People can’t even afford to live. Minimum wage makes sense — people have to make a living income. In order for that to happen, independent contractors and gig workers have to have access to basic standards. We need it to make a living, and to have a stable economy for the country.