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Celerity

(42,630 posts)
Fri Mar 27, 2020, 06:41 PM Mar 2020

Instacart's Gig Workers Are Planning a Massive, Nationwide Strike

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the grocery delivery company has refused to offer its 175,000 gig workers basic protections like hazard pay, hand sanitizer, and paid leave for those with pre-existing health conditions.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/4agmvd/instacarts-gig-workers-are-planning-a-massive-nationwide-strike



Instacart shoppers are planning a nationwide mass revolt over the grocery delivery app's response to the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday, workers say they will refuse to accept orders until Instacart provides hazard pay of an additional $5 an order, free safety gear (hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, and soap) to workers, and expands its paid sick leave to include workers with pre-existing conditions who have been advised by their doctors not to work at this time. Workers say the strike will last until Instacart agrees to these terms.

The March 30 walkout will build on a wave of wildcat strikes sweeping across the country. In recent days, Amazon warehouse workers in Queens, New York, sanitation workers in Pittsburgh, and poultry plant workers at Perdue Farms in Georgia have all walked off the job, demanding greater protections from coronavirus, and leading to calls for a “general strike,” or mass strike action across the country. Meanwhile, the upcoming Instacart strike will mark the first time gig workers in the United States—who face the double bind of working on the front lines of virus and lacking basic labor protections like healthcare and paid sick days—have walked off the job in response to coronavirus.

“The health and safety of our entire community — shoppers, customers, and employees — is our first priority," a spokesperson for Instacart told Motherboard. "Our goal is to offer a safe and flexible earnings opportunity to shoppers, while also proactively taking the appropriate precautionary measures to operate safely. We want to underscore that we absolutely respect the rights of shoppers to provide us feedback and voice their concerns. It’s a valuable way for us to continuously make improvements to the shopper experience and we’re committed to supporting this important community during this critical time.”

In a blog post Friday morning, Instacart announced several “new features and offerings” to address Covid-19, which address none of the gig workers’ demands. “While Instacart’s corporate employees are working from home, Instacart’s [gig workers] are working on the frontlines in the capacity of first responders,” Vanessa Bain, a lead organizer of the upcoming Instacart walkout, and an Instacart gig worker in Menlo Park, California, told Motherboard. “Instacart’s corporate employees are provided with health insurance, life insurance, and paid time off and [are] also eligible for sick pay and paid family leave. By contrast its [gig workers], who are putting their lives on the line to maintain daily operations are afforded none of these protections. Without [us], Instacart will grind to a halt. We deserve and demand better.”

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SWBTATTReg

(21,856 posts)
2. I don't blame them 1 bit. Lives are at sake. Hobby Lobby refuses to protect its workers too.
Fri Mar 27, 2020, 06:46 PM
Mar 2020

Any businesses that doesn't support its' employees should be outed and the business boycotted if they can't protect their workers. If they can't protect their workers, they're not certainly protecting us, the consumers either.

We as consumers aren't protected either with this business and their practices re. the CV. Gig workers are on the front lines too. I guess if I were a gig worker, I'd rather collect unemployment if I could (I don't think you can). I am guessing that their pool of gig workers is going to rapidly disappear, wouldn't you think?

SWBTATTReg

(21,856 posts)
6. Love that word. It's perfect. Thank god we don't have to see his daughter anymore as press...
Fri Mar 27, 2020, 06:52 PM
Mar 2020

secretary (or whatever she was).

JCMach1

(27,544 posts)
3. This company is trash...
Fri Mar 27, 2020, 06:48 PM
Mar 2020

Their operation alone is heavily exploitative...

I did work for them very briefly ... Bad bad bad

cornball 24

(1,471 posts)
7. Ordered my first ever delivery from Wegman's via Instacart this past Tuesday. What a fiasco!
Fri Mar 27, 2020, 06:54 PM
Mar 2020

Charged for $70 worth of groceries which I did not receive but billed for. Have been going through holy hell to try and get resolution to no avail. I would never use them again! Perhaps I was caught in the middle of this debacle and git got!

Celerity

(42,630 posts)
9. We have been using online grocers here in Stockholm and before that in London for years, and rarely
Fri Mar 27, 2020, 07:01 PM
Mar 2020

have had issues. I am so sorry you have to go through that!!

Hekate

(90,189 posts)
8. Good for them! I'm in the process of signing up with Instacart but absolutely support the strike...
Fri Mar 27, 2020, 06:56 PM
Mar 2020

...and won't attempt to use it until this gets resolved.

Glimmer of Hope

(5,823 posts)
10. They should be doing all they can to protect their shoppers. I need this service and used them
Fri Mar 27, 2020, 07:01 PM
Mar 2020

yesterday but I will look for alternatives.

customerserviceguy

(25,183 posts)
11. Had they actually unionized?
Fri Mar 27, 2020, 07:10 PM
Mar 2020

Or is this something led by a small faction? At this point, there are a lot of folks that would be free to take up gig work to replace strikers.

lynintenn

(631 posts)
12. Have used Instacart twice this week thru Kroger
Fri Mar 27, 2020, 07:59 PM
Mar 2020

My shoppers were good and my order was here within the hour. They told me they use all measures to ensure safety on their deliveries. I tipped the shopper an extra $10.00 added to the $10.00 I put on the order when I saw she had a baby seat in her car.

 

smirkymonkey

(63,221 posts)
13. I don't blame them one bit.
Fri Mar 27, 2020, 08:02 PM
Mar 2020

Grocery stores must be cleaning up, financially. They can afford to care for their delivery people and those on the front lines. Start taking care of your workers or suffer the consequences.

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