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Local delivery driver urges Auburn to consider protections for gig workers
Summary
Auburn resident and delivery driver Jeffrey Walker urged the council to enact protections for gig-economy couriers, saying companies that classify drivers as contractors leave workers making as little as $2 an hour on some days and that local action could address the problem.
Jeffrey Walker, an Auburn resident and delivery driver, used Monday's public-comment period to urge the City Council to consider measures that would protect gig-economy couriers from low effective pay and unsafe work conditions.
Walker said companies that use contractor classifications — he named DoorDash, Grubhub and Instacart — allow pay structures that leave drivers with very low earnings after expenses. "Some days I'll only make $2 in an hour," Walker said, describing the financial risk and safety concerns of driving for low pay.
Walker said he is working to organize delivery drivers locally to build collective voice and asked the council to consider legislation similar to measures in Seattle that aim to raise the effective pay for delivery couriers.
The council did not debate or respond with specific policy proposals during the meeting; Walker's remarks were recorded as part of audience participation and he said he intends to engage further with the council on the issue.
Walker described being a small-business owner and caregiver in addition to his delivery work and framed the issue as both a worker-safety and economic question for the city.
No specific ordinance, policy text or staff referral related to gig-worker protections was introduced at the meeting.
