CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
title
AN ORDINANCE relating to app-based worker labor standards; establishing a compensation scheme for app-based workers with minimum pay requirements and related standards for transparency and flexibility; amending Sections 3.02.125, 3.15.000, and 6.208.020 of the Seattle Municipal Code; and adding a new Title 8 and Chapter 8.37 to the Seattle Municipal Code.
body
WHEREAS, an estimated 40,000 app-based workers work in Seattle, including those who are Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC), immigrants, workers with disabilities, LGBTQ+ workers, and single parents; and
WHEREAS, the community depends on app-based workers to provide valuable services, but network companies often pay app-based workers subminimum wages despite the promise of good wages, flexibility, and accessibility; and
WHEREAS, the definitions of "employee" and "employer" in local, state, and federal laws are broad, but network companies rely on business models that treat app-based workers as "independent contractors," thereby creating barriers for app-based workers to access employee protections such as minimum wage, unemployment benefits, workers' compensation, and paid family and medical leave; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data show that Black workers account for 23 percent of app-based workers performing in-person work, higher than their overall share of employment (12 percent), and Latinx workers account for 19 percent of app-based workers performing in-person work, higher than their overall share of employment (17 percent); and
WHEREAS, Black and Latinx workers are overrepresented among app-based workers, comprising almost 42 percent of app-based workers but less than 29 percent of the overall labor force, and are disproportionately deprived of core employee protections when network companies treat them as independent contractors; and
WHEREAS, BIPOC workers face unique barr...
Click here for full text