July #PayUp National Meeting Notes!
Missed the Pay Up National Meeting on July 17? Just want a recap? Check out the (abridged) video below, or read on for notes!
Before we get into it, here are three things you can do to move us forward:
Fill out Rate Your Gig to help us publish info on how all the apps are paying and treating workers — and make sure workers and the public know which apps are the worst offenders.
Pledge to join our Raise Days action from September 5th to 8th.
SHARE both of those links (Rate Your Gig & Raise Days) with fellow gig workers and help build our movement!
Here’s what happened at the meeting…
App campaign & policy Updates:
We’re continuing to move forward our campaigns against specific apps as we build momentum for new laws that will hold them all accountable.
Postmates: 4000 Postmates workers participated in our Blitz Up in June. Now, Postmates execs have reached out to meet with workers who led the charge — stay tuned for a reportback!
DoorDash: Recently, DoorDash announced changes to their platform to “improve the Dasher experience.” They’re finally giving us more of the transparency we’ve asked for — BUT they’ve ignored our demand to stop stealing tips. DoorDash workers are passing out flyers to customers to get the word out & ask them to tip in cash — click here for printable flyers & a link you can share!
Instacart: Unsurprisingly, Instacart continues to roll out changes that cut workers’ pay. Most recently, they’ve rolled out an “on-demand” system for offering jobs to workers. At the meeting, 87% of Instacart workers reported that on-demand has resulted in LOWER pay in their area. We will continue to call out Instacart online & in the media for making changes that lower workers’ pay.
Political update: In Seattle, we’ve partnered with a City Council member who wants to push forward new laws to protect gig workers’ pay. Plus, legislators in NYC & Minneapolis have responded to the Pay Up campaign with laws that would stop gig tip theft & increase transparency for gig workers. We’re reaching out to legislators in more cities & states in the coming months — so stay tuned!
Raise Days
The big idea
Our next step in the fight for gig workers’ rights: a national, multi-app action to take control of the narrative around the gig economy & push for new laws.
We’re calling it Raise Days, and it will take place from Sept 5 - 8, 2019.
During Raise Days, gig workers on different apps across the country will set their own pay floor & refuse to take jobs that go below it.
By participating in the action together, we’ll show that gig workers are united in our demands. We’ll make it clear exactly what the issues are with pay and treatment of workers in the gig economy, and show the world that there’s a path forward to make change.
The day-by-day plan
In addition to setting our own pay floor for all four days of Raise Days, we’ll be doing something a little different each day to build momentum & make our voices heard.
DAY 1: THURSDAY, SEPT 5 — TAKE IT TO THE COMPANIES
On Day 1, we’ll be holding in-person demonstrations in select cities outside major offices for gig companies. We’re planning on holding an events at least in Seattle and SF, but discussed other potential locations at the meeting too — stay tuned & we’ll reach out if there’s an in-person demonstration near you!
DAY 2: FRIDAY, SEPT 6 — TAKE IT TO THE LAWMAKERS
On Day 2, we’ll be contacting our local and state legislators to ask for their support in moving the Pay Up demands forward as law. Having gig workers & supports reach out together on one day will help us find champions for our laws in more cities & states across the country!
DAY 3: SATURDAY, SEPT 7 — TAKE IT TO THE PUBLIC
On Day 3, we’ll be targeting companies that partner with major apps, like Costco and Chipotle. You can step up by holding an Outreach Day outside one of these businesses and flyering to spread the word to customers & workers!
DAY 4: SUNDAY, SEPT 8 — CELEBRATE
On the final day of Raise Days, we’ll be coming together online to wrap up, celebrate, and discuss our next steps!
The lead-up to Raise Days
So, what can we do in the next couple months to make sure Raise Days is a success?
There are two major ways to help make it happen…
Rate Your Gig
The Rate Your Gig tool allows workers to rate the apps they work for — instead of them rating us.
The idea is simple: we’ll have workers rate each gig and report on how they pay, then publish our findings as a comparison between different apps.
There are two big reasons to do this:
Gig companies depend on a constant influx of new workers in order to do business. If we can get the word out about how each app is REALLY paying workers, and how they compare, we can force the companies to compete against each other.
If we want to fight for new laws to protect our pay, we need to make the case about what pay looks like right now. By rating our gigs & publishing the ratings, we can show customers, supporters, and the public exactly what’s going on in the gig economy.
We need real data & real reporting to make that happen. Click here to Rate Your Gig, and don’t forget to share that link with fellow gig workers. We need at least 500 ratings from workers to release them publicly!
Organizing & outreach
The reason the Pay Up campaign has grown to over 9,000 workers is because so many of you have stepped up to reach out in your local communities.
And if we want Raise Days to be a success, we need to keep doing that work.
Share the Raise Days sign-on and the Rate Your Gig tool with fellow workers online, in Facebook groups, one on one, and as you run into workers while you’re out on your gig. You can even post up outside a store or restaurant and talk to gig workers on their way in. Or, take it a step further and host a local meeting for gig workers!
The success of this movement depends on every single one of us doing our part. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time — but if all of us can take one small action (like sharing a link or talking to one fellow gig worker) every week until Raise Days begins on Sept. 5, we know it will be a success.
If you really want to step up, let us know you’re interested in being the local organizer for your area by signing on to organize when you fill out the Raise Days form.
We’ve got the numbers we need, and we’ve got the power to make it happen. Look out for emails & texts with info about next steps we can take together — and if you have any thoughts, please share with gig@workingwa.org or join the Pay Up Campaign group on Facebook!