Seattle approved higher pay for gig workers. So why didn't their pay change that much?
A couple years ago, Seattle passed a law to pay delivery drivers more for their labor.
The policy guaranteed these gig workers minimum compensation. The idea was to protect people working for apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash.
…. And it stirred up some big reactions.
Delivery companies protested the change. Restaurant owners said the policy hurt business. And some City Councilmembers considered rolling the law back just a few months after it went into effect.
After all that fuss…. researchers have found that the pay for these drivers hasn’t actually changed that much.
Sponsored
Guest:
- Andrew Garin, an Associate Professor of Economics at Carnegie Mellon University.
Related links:
- KUOW - Seattle's gig worker law was supposed to boost pay. It did at first, until orders dropped
- Wage standard for Seattle delivery drivers at an impasse | The Seattle Times
- KUOW - Seattle has a new gig worker minimum wage. Who's benefiting and who's footing the bill?
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes
Sponsored
Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.
-
Libby Denkmann
Host, Soundside
Libby Denkmann joined KUOW in December 2021 as the host of the midday show Soundside. She’s a native Pacific Northwesterner who grew up in Redmond, graduated from the University of Washington, and covered local news as a producer and reporter with KIRO Radio.
More stories from Libby Denkmann » -
Maleeha Syed
Producer, Soundside
Maleeha is a producer on Soundside, a show that helps listeners get to know the PNW and each other. Before KUOW, she worked at Cascade PBS, first as a communities reporter and then as a podcast producer on shows like Northwest Reports and Your Last Meal. Before moving to Seattle, she worked as a reporter at the Burlington Free Press in Vermont, but is originally from San Antonio.
More stories from Maleeha Syed » -
Sarah Leibovitz
Supervising Producer, Soundside
Sarah joined KUOW in 2019 as senior producer on The Record. She is now Supervising KUOW’s new noon time show, Soundside. Prior to working at KUOW, Sarah was lead producer at the Seattle podcast production company Larj Media, and a teaching artist with Path with Art.
More stories from Sarah Leibovitz »
