SEATTLE, Sept. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Uber
and Lyft drivers with the Drivers Union celebrated the passage
of a Fair Pay standard by a unanimous 9-0 vote by the Seattle City
Council, further cementing Seattle's position as a national leader on
groundbreaking labor protections for gig workers.
The pay standard establishes the highest legislated earnings
floor drivers have achieved in the nation, built to ensure that pay
never falls below Seattle's
minimum wage after expenses.
The labor victory comes on the heels of Seattle passing first-in-the-nation sick
pay and hazard pay for gig workers, and completes Mayor
Durkan's Fare Share Plan, which includes the nation's first
protections against unwarranted deactivation, and funding
for driver support services through a Driver Resolution
Center.
"Seattle is once again leading
the nation by passing fair pay for Uber and Lyft drivers," said
Peter Kuel, an Uber and Lyft
driver since 2013 and President of Drivers Union. "Historic
victories like this should serve as an inspiration for all gig
workers around the country of what is possible through organizing
together as a Union to demand fair treatment."
Drivers Union led the multi-year campaign to win fair pay for
Uber and Lyft drivers – surrounding City Hall with a driver
caravan, organizing multiple drivers actions, and exposing Uber and
Lyft taking more from riders, while paying drivers less.
"Uber and Lyft drivers in Seattle are at the forefront of a resurgence
of the labor movement," said John
Scearcy, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 117. "It
is inspiring to stand alongside Black and brown immigrant workers –
those who have been excluded from the protections of
20th Century labor laws – rising up to say 'Enough is
enough – if the old laws don't protect us and lift up the dignity
of our work, we will make new ones.'"
The Fair Pay standard is built off of over a year of stakeholder
outreach, surveys and townhalls which engaged thousands of drivers,
and recommendations from a city-commissioned independent
study that found that Uber/Lyft drivers in Seattle often earn less than minimum wage
after expenses.
Last week, a committee chaired by Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda
unanimously voted to strengthen the policy with improved
transparency for riders and drivers, and additional living wage
protections accounting for time spent cleaning and sanitizing
vehicles between trips.
Implementation of the Fair Pay standard and other groundbreaking
protections in the Fare Share Plan will occur in 2021.
The Fare Share Plan has been backed by a coalition of over
65 housing, transit, labor, environmental, health, and social
justice groups that came together to make sure Seattle's growth works for everyone.
Drivers Union, affiliated with Teamsters Local Union
117, is an association of thousands of Uber and Lyft drivers in
Seattle standing up for fairness
in the for-hire transportation industry.
Contact: Joshua Welter 206-383-1857
joshua.welter@teamsters117.org
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SOURCE Teamsters Local 117