Our vision for the future of the gig economy:
Gig Workers Bill of Rights
We are gig workers on apps like Instacart, DoorDash, Uber, and GoPuff, doing essential work like food delivery, grocery shopping, ridehail, and more.
Across apps and across the US, we stand together in support of the Gig Workers’ Bill of Rights.
For years, app companies have been slashing pay to sub-minimum wage rates, while shifting all the cost & risk onto workers. They get away with it because of a loophole in our labor laws that leaves millions of workers with zero protection, simply because they’re classified as independent contractors. Now, apps are hard at work lobbying for laws that would lock in low standards.
We need laws designed by gig workers, for gig workers — not corporations or politicians.
We depend on the flexibility of gig work. It’s crucial for millions of workers with disabilities, people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ workers, and single parents. App companies claim they want to protect flexibility. But the laws they’re pushing would mean more flexibility for companies to set low pay rates with black-box algorithms — while allowing them to limit workers’ flexibility.
Gig work can be good work. But we shouldn’t be forced to choose between the flexibility we need & the protections all workers deserve. And we won’t accept corporate-backed laws that give us the worst of both worlds.
Instead, we’re fighting for the best of both worlds. Whether we’re full-time gig workers or work on apps on the side, and regardless of where we stand on issues like independent contractor classification — we all agree that we need policies protecting our flexibility and freedom, and basic rights and benefits. And we’ve come together across those differences to shape the Gig Workers’ Bill of Rights, our unified vision for the future of the gig economy.
Check out the Gig Workers’ Bill of Rights below, then sign on to help us build a future of the gig economy shaped by those who matter most: the people actually doing the work.
The Gig Workers’ Bill of Rights
We have the right to a pay floor of a living wage after our expenses have been accounted for. That includes the cost of mileage, required additional insurance, and maintenance for the personal vehicles we must use for our work.
We have the right to tips on top — apps shouldn’t get away with stealing our tips by lowering pay by the amount customers tip us in the app. Gratuities should be treated as separate, not reported or advertised as part of our pay.
We have the right to transparency about job offers, pay, and tips so we’re able to make informed decisions about whether or not the job is worth accepting.
We have the right to work when and where we choose, without being required to schedule shifts or being punished for taking time off.
We have the right to accept or reject any offers we choose — without facing penalties, like losing bonuses or being deactivated for falling below a minimum acceptance rate.
We have the right to independence in our work and freedom from unfair deactivations. We shouldn’t be micromanaged by bosses or algorithms, such as star rating systems, penalties, incentives, and throttling. We need independent review for customer complaints, and the ability to appeal and be reinstated if we’re unfairly deactivated.
We have the right to freedom from discrimination and harassment. Apps should be required to provide meaningful protections from discrimination by customers or partner businesses, without retaliating when we report our experiences.
We have the right to health and safety on the job. We need a healthy work environment — access to bathrooms, sanitation, protective equipment for hazards like COVID-19, and compensation for sick time and work injuries. And we need the freedom to keep ourselves safe by choosing what work we do. We should be allowed to refuse service due to harassment or discrimination, and reject offers that are unsafe or do not accommodate our disabilities.
We have the right to a strong economic safety net to address the risks we take on and the benefits we’re missing. We need income support if we are unable to work due to an accident, deactivation, or decrease in demand, and help with recovery costs so we can return to work. We need a path to secure retirement, paid family & medical leave, and affordable health care.
We have the right to protect ourselves and our livelihood, and to enforce our rights through collective action. We should be able to band together with fellow gig workers and speak out for better working conditions, and be protected from retaliation when taking on-the-job concerns to the public. If necessary, we should be able to take legal action without being forced into arbitration.