“A hardworking woman delivered my food within 20 minutes. I want her to be able to eat too.”

Karen Taylor is a customer on various gig delivery platforms, and a member of the Transit Riders Union, a community organization based in Seattle. Here’s why he supports the #PayUp policy:

“I'm Karen and I'm a member of the Transit Riders Union in support of raising pay & providing other protections to gig workers on apps like DoorDash, Instacart, and Handy.

I have chronic pain - last night when she could see I was hurting in online writing class, a classmate surprised me with a DoorDash certificate for dinner. This was so thoughtful, as preparing nutritious food often goes out the window during a pain flare. A hardworking woman delivered it within 20 minutes. I want her to be able to eat too. In this case I was lucky to have a gift, but often I need to order using my income from Social Security Disability. Why should a CEO or shareholder, run away with my SSDI money, meanwhile nobody is properly paying the folks hustling hard to create all the value.

I just went on a date with a hospital chaplain who does gig work on the side to support his kiddo. We bonded over the fact that he’s on food stamps just like me. Why is our government subsidizing filthy rich people to increase their profit instead of the company paying workers appropriately?

And to the argument they’ll just raise rates for “consumers”, I’d gladly pay more for needed care services if I knew my working class sisters and brothers were being taken care of too. And honestly a huge chunk of people in Seattle can pay higher rates for deliveries. Higher rates are no sweat off their brow.

Before I was disabled, I was a domestic worker and we have had to fight for basic pay and protections. It’s silly we’re again debating whether some category of worker somehow doesn’t deserve minimum wage. Obviously we all do. The PayUp policies are common sense and much needed.”