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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsInstacart's Gig Workers Are Planning a Massive, Nationwide Strike
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the grocery delivery company has refused to offer its 175,000 gig workers basic protections like hazard pay, hand sanitizer, and paid leave for those with pre-existing health conditions.https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/4agmvd/instacarts-gig-workers-are-planning-a-massive-nationwide-strike
Instacart shoppers are planning a nationwide mass revolt over the grocery delivery app's response to the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday, workers say they will refuse to accept orders until Instacart provides hazard pay of an additional $5 an order, free safety gear (hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, and soap) to workers, and expands its paid sick leave to include workers with pre-existing conditions who have been advised by their doctors not to work at this time. Workers say the strike will last until Instacart agrees to these terms.
The March 30 walkout will build on a wave of wildcat strikes sweeping across the country. In recent days, Amazon warehouse workers in Queens, New York, sanitation workers in Pittsburgh, and poultry plant workers at Perdue Farms in Georgia have all walked off the job, demanding greater protections from coronavirus, and leading to calls for a general strike, or mass strike action across the country. Meanwhile, the upcoming Instacart strike will mark the first time gig workers in the United Stateswho face the double bind of working on the front lines of virus and lacking basic labor protections like healthcare and paid sick dayshave walked off the job in response to coronavirus.
The health and safety of our entire community shoppers, customers, and employees is our first priority," a spokesperson for Instacart told Motherboard. "Our goal is to offer a safe and flexible earnings opportunity to shoppers, while also proactively taking the appropriate precautionary measures to operate safely. We want to underscore that we absolutely respect the rights of shoppers to provide us feedback and voice their concerns. Its a valuable way for us to continuously make improvements to the shopper experience and were committed to supporting this important community during this critical time.
In a blog post Friday morning, Instacart announced several new features and offerings to address Covid-19, which address none of the gig workers demands. While Instacarts corporate employees are working from home, Instacarts [gig workers] are working on the frontlines in the capacity of first responders, Vanessa Bain, a lead organizer of the upcoming Instacart walkout, and an Instacart gig worker in Menlo Park, California, told Motherboard. Instacarts corporate employees are provided with health insurance, life insurance, and paid time off and [are] also eligible for sick pay and paid family leave. By contrast its [gig workers], who are putting their lives on the line to maintain daily operations are afforded none of these protections. Without [us], Instacart will grind to a halt. We deserve and demand better.
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dalton99a
(81,455 posts)PETRUS
(3,678 posts)SWBTATTReg
(22,112 posts)Any businesses that doesn't support its' employees should be outed and the business boycotted if they can't protect their workers. If they can't protect their workers, they're not certainly protecting us, the consumers either.
We as consumers aren't protected either with this business and their practices re. the CV. Gig workers are on the front lines too. I guess if I were a gig worker, I'd rather collect unemployment if I could (I don't think you can). I am guessing that their pool of gig workers is going to rapidly disappear, wouldn't you think?
luvallpeeps
(935 posts)Big fat phony Huckabees. (Huckabee is my word for fake Christians)
SWBTATTReg
(22,112 posts)secretary (or whatever she was).
JCMach1
(27,556 posts)Their operation alone is heavily exploitative...
I did work for them very briefly ... Bad bad bad
cornball 24
(1,475 posts)Charged for $70 worth of groceries which I did not receive but billed for. Have been going through holy hell to try and get resolution to no avail. I would never use them again! Perhaps I was caught in the middle of this debacle and git got!
Celerity
(43,327 posts)have had issues. I am so sorry you have to go through that!!
Hekate
(90,645 posts)...and won't attempt to use it until this gets resolved.
Glimmer of Hope
(5,823 posts)yesterday but I will look for alternatives.
customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)Or is this something led by a small faction? At this point, there are a lot of folks that would be free to take up gig work to replace strikers.
lynintenn
(644 posts)My shoppers were good and my order was here within the hour. They told me they use all measures to ensure safety on their deliveries. I tipped the shopper an extra $10.00 added to the $10.00 I put on the order when I saw she had a baby seat in her car.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)Grocery stores must be cleaning up, financially. They can afford to care for their delivery people and those on the front lines. Start taking care of your workers or suffer the consequences.