Michelle, La Quinta, CA
“I organized as part of the nationwide #GoPuffYourself strike on November 23rd for better pay, flexible shift access, and deactivation protections — and my whole warehouse joined me on strike. On the morning of the strike I showed up for my first shift at 7 am and there were already people standing on all four corners of the block with signs honking at people.
It was amazing. There were bags sitting lined up out the door, with nobody to deliver them. I had somebody driving my Acura up and down the street with #GoPuffYourself written on the back. I left comments on Waze on every block, "#GoPuffYourself 2021" and "GoPuff treats us unfair" and "GoPuff only pays me $3 to pick up your items.”
Even the managers walked out — the whole place was shut down. I had ten people sitting on corners with signs & everything, spreading the word.
Going on strike felt good. We're independent contractors, we're a brotherhood, we're busting our butts to make a buck, and we're taking a stand that we don't want to be treated like low-class citizens.
They’re only paying $3 a bag, but nobody should work for $3 an order. I can't even buy gas for $3 a gallon. I can't go out to the grocery store and buy food for my kids on $3 an order. As independent contractors, we have to pay all our taxes ourselves — and at the end of the year you can be in the negative.
I do GoPuff because I like making my own hours — but we need managers who will treat us with respect. They should be honest with us — we should be able to see how big our orders are, how much they weigh, like if it's 3 cases of water or something. We need to know what we are getting ourselves into! There are senior citizens out there who can't take those kinds of jobs. As independent contractors, we should have the right to reject jobs. We don't have that — there's no reject button. We’re called independent contractors, but they're treating us like we're employees, like we have to take every order.
We're hooked onto a GPS tracker when we're on shift too — but if I'm not getting paid for my time, I don't want to get tracked at all. They're watching us — why? If I want to go to the bathroom or go get coffee or something to eat, I should be able to do that. They say we have to ask permission if we want to leave the perimeter. You have to sit in the parking lot so they can see you from your little office. But they're not even paying us for the time we wait. It's not like I clock in and out for a wage. They don't own my time. They don't own me.
There's a risk in going on strike, but the risk is worth it. We stood up as a team. We're saying, we're not going to put up with it. If you want to retaliate, we'll come back harder and stronger.