holiday...or just another day to hustle?

Working in the gig economy means a holiday isn’t always a holiday.

For many of us, it’s just another day to hustle.

What’s it like for the humans behind multi-billion dollar apps like Postmates, DoorDash, and Instacart? Read on to hear how gig workers across the country are spending their holidays. Then, sign on to the Pay Up campaign to help fight for better pay…so a holiday can be a holiday.

(And if you’re a gig worker, plug into the organizing by joining us on Facebook!)

 
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“Normally I’d spend the day having Thanksgiving dinner with my family and hiking. But I’m paid too little to take the day off. I have $6 to my name right now. I’ll be using that for gas to pick up deliveries today.

- Stacee, Instacart worker in Mesa, AZ

“If I made enough money to take time off, I’d be seeing my two daughters this Thanksgiving. The financial hardship of working on Postmates has made it impossible for me to see them. I’m always broke. The income was already low before the pay cuts, and I quit my job a week before pay was slashed to next-to-nothing. They’ve set 7 cents a minute as the worth on a human being’s time. That’s $4.20 per hour.”

- David, Postmates worker in Oregon City, OR

“For me, a holiday just means I have to make up for it by working an extra day, and less money in my paycheck. I love having flexibility, and I love to help others, and gig work is a great way to do it. But it’s a shame they don’t care about the people who are the face of the company.”

- Verna, Instacart worker in Austin, TX

“I’d like to spend the holiday cooking & spending time with my family. But since Instacart has lowered their pay so much and taken away our quality bonuses, I can’t afford to skip a day of work.

I used to work as a trucker, so I’ve worked holidays before, and in some ways it’s just another day. But this year, I can’t even afford a holiday meal or Christmas presents for my family. I can’t accept 80% of the orders that come through because the pay is below minimum wage and they’re sending me as far as 15 miles away to deliver groceries.”

- Elizebethe, Instacart worker in Bonne Terre, MO

 
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Having to work holidays makes me feel less than human — like I’m just there to serve the customers and the CEO. I’m driving them to go spend time with their family and friends while that CEO is probably sitting in front of the fire or relaxing on a beach.”

- Kari, Uber/Lyft driver in Winston-Salem, NC

“My Thanksgiving tradition is making dinner for myself and my partner, then going and distributing bags of toiletries to the homeless people along the lakefront in Chicago. But this year, I can’t afford to take the day off. Even if I could, it would require having enough money to buy groceries — which we don’t, and my food stamps don’t come in until December 10.

I’ve worked retail and restaurants for years, and I realize people do have to work on the holidays. I typically haven’t minded...but I’ve never had to work on the holidays because of my own finances before. I’m a little ashamed and embarrassed, and I’m worried I’ll waste a day I could have spent with friends and my dog.”

- Gil, DoorDash/UberEats worker in Chicago, IL

“For me to take Thanksgiving off, I’ll have to work more hours per day for the next couple weeks — or work 7 days a week instead of 6.”

- Adam, Instacart worker in Mesa, AZ

“Working on Instacart over the holidays means lower tips (or no tips), and heavy orders with the same pay as a regular batch. I’ll have to put in extra hours on other apps because I’ll be making a third of what I would’ve normally made with Instacart on Thanksgiving week.”

- Amy, Instacart worker in Holiday, FL

 
 

“As a single mom, I rely on Black Friday shopping for Christmas gifts for my child. But I can’t do that without money, and I can’t make anything when I’m getting paid $3 a job.

I miss out on so much because I have to work, and it’s because we’re being cheated every single day. They need to stop slashing our pay and start taking care of their workers.”

- Tara, Postmates/DoorDash worker in Oklahoma City, OK

“Unlike other workers, if I take the day off, it means I just don’t make money. I take a pay cut & make up for it by working seven days straight. We should be treated & paid humanly — log off & let us spend time with our families.”

- Christina, Instacart worker in Festus, MO

“I like to spend Thanksgiving camping. But my pay on Postmates is too low for me to afford time off. So instead, I’ll be working...and getting paid less because many restaurants will be closed, meaning I’ll have to make up for it with no days off again next week.”

- Brad, Postmates worker in Portland, OR

 
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“I’d love to be cooking Thanksgiving dinner with my kids. Instead, I’ll be starting dinner and my kids will finish it so I can work. Thankfully, a church provided a meal for us — I didn’t make enough with Instacart’s pay to even afford it.

I thought this job would mean I’d have freedom and flexibility to spend time with my family. That’s more important to me now than ever, because my son leaves for the army this summer. But instead, I’m working to provide for customers who are enjoying spending time with their families.”

- Tamila, Instacart worker in Shawnee, KS

“It sucks, but the pay on DoorDash and Postmates is so low, I can’t afford to take the day off. If I could, I’d be spending it with my family. I hope the executives at these companies enjoy their Thanksgiving - I know I won’t, thanks to the low pay.”

- Paul, Postmates/DoorDash worker in Chandler, AZ

I’d like to invite people who don’t have somewhere else to go to my house for Thanksgiving. But my pay is too low to take the day off this year. It’s depressing, and I feel like a loser for having to work 24/7.”

- Jordan, Postmates/Instacart worker in Portland, OR

 
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“The low pay means a holiday is no different than any other day. I’d love to take the day off to rest, but I’ve got to work to make money no matter what day it is. It’s barely worth the time to work on Thanksgiving — last year I was on the clock for six hours and only received one order — but since I can’t find another job, I have to try to get what I can.”

- Marie, Instacart worker in Bullhead City, AZ

“I want to spend Thanksgiving with my family. But if I want to keep a roof over my head, I have to work. It’s barely worth it — twice on Thanksgiving, I was sent to a restaurant that turned out to be closed, and Postmates paid me nothing for my time.”

- Yvonne, Postmates/DoorDash/UberEats worker in Raleigh, NC

“Holidays suck for gig workers because when we don’t work, we don’t get paid. I’m taking Thanksgiving off, but it means I have to work longer hours & take low-paying orders later on. We have families too, but these gig companies don’t care about us workers at all — all they care about is putting more money in their greedy pockets.”

- Joe, UberEats/Grubhub worker in Evansville, IN


Workers need time off. We need holidays. We need spend time with our families & friends.

For too many of us in the gig economy, low pay means those basic needs are impossible.

Workers with the Pay Up campaign are speaking out & changing that.

Will you join us?

Click here to sign on to the campaign, and if you’re a gig worker, click here to join us on Facebook.

Emily D