Last week, we gathered at Pike Place Market for a visual demonstration of the importance of fair pay for all workers — and how the app corporations’ retaliation with fees makes the megacorps look as greedy and out of touch as they are.
Mr. Moneybags himself came through to make a compelling case on behalf of app corporations like DoorDash and Instacart. Some of his more ~ salient ~ points:
“If I can’t build my business model off subminimum wages, then my customers need to make up for it!”
“I don’t give two craps if customers can’t afford an extra $5 on their orders! I didn’t get to where I am today, looking like a million bucks, by caring about anyone but me. Maybe fewer orders will teach those greedy gig workers that minimum wage is selfish!”
“Paying my workers minimum wage hurts me – and I’ve never known pain in my entire life!!!”
“This is about pitting worker against worker. Restaurant against worker! Customer against worker! This is divide and conquer, baby! Good ole fashion union busting style power grabbing.”
As tear-jerking as the corporation’s arguments may be, we know that they have been getting away with paying us steeply subminimum wage and building their billions off our underpaid labor (and our subsidization of the work we do), for years. Now that they’re required to pay us a living wage for our time, the corporations have turned on the water works – and are using those crocodile tears to try to wash away minimum wage for gig workers. Read more about our action in King5, The Seattle Times, and KIRO.
The key takeaway? App corporations are applying a huge amount of pressure to the city council to roll back minimum wage for gig workers and council leadership is giving every indication that the corporate lobbying is working.
Send an email to the council NOW to tell them you support minimum wage for gig workers!