Across the country, corporations are getting away with paying their employees only a couple of dollars an hour, but we can do something about it and ensure these workers are paid at least minimum wage. 

Here’s why: Companies are treating janitors, DoorDash delivery drivers, truckers, and other employees as “gig workers” or “independent contractors” – even if they work these jobs full-time for years. And because these money-hungry corporations say these employees aren’t full-time, the employees aren’t protected by the same laws as other workers, including the federal minimum wage.

These corporations are categorizing these jobs as “gig work” to get away with paying employees less and pocketing the difference – depriving them of the right to organize, overtime pay, workers’ compensation, unemployment benefits, and protection from workplace discrimination. Not to mention, oftentimes these employees don’t always get the flexibility that’s supposed to go with being a contractor either. It’s a totally unfair system – and it’s a racial justice issue because workers in the so-called gig economy are often people of color and immigrants. 

But we don’t have to let employers get away with this: The Department of Labor is considering a new policy that would make it more difficult for companies to classify their workers as independent contractors – which means they would get the same workplace protections as other employees. 

We’re calling on the Department of Labor to go through with their proposed policy and expand federal protections to gig workers. Will you sign our petition now to defend millions of workers across the country?

Here is just one example of the exploitation of gig workers: DoorDash paid its CEO $400 million in 2020 – one of the biggest CEO pay packages on record – but the company simply does not pay its drivers, the backbone of its service, anywhere near the minimum wage, let alone a livable wage.

These practices also harm our local economy. With such low wages, employees labeled as gig workers don’t have disposable income to make purchases in their local economy, which drives down spending. Our economy is the strongest when everyone can participate – including gig workers. So not only are these giant, greedy corporations shorting workers, they’re also harming the small businesses that enrich our communities.

That’s why it’s so important that the Department of Labor makes the right move by changing their policies around gig work. By making it harder for companies to exploit gig workers or independent contractors, they will expand federal workplace protections and raise wages for millions of Americans. 

If you want to help us stop corporations from exploiting their workers through the gig work loophole, will you please sign our petition now? We need as many names as possible to convince the Department of Labor to take action.

Thanks for your support,

Team Civic Action