Seattle’s Office of Labor Standards said Wednesday that Postmates, an online food delivery platform, has agreed to pay nearly $1 million to settle allegations it violated the city’s paid sick leave policies for gig workers.
The settlement amounted to $972,075, most of which is for back wages and damages to 1,646 Postmates gig workers in Seattle, the city said in a news release.
The city began investigating the company last fall after many drivers alleged Postmates did not pay them for what should have been paid sick time off, among other potential violations of the city’s Gig Worker Paid Sick and Safe Time policy. The law went into effect in July 2020 after it was unanimously approved by the Seattle City Council.
“For years, us couriers were missing out on many benefits that we need and that we should have received from the start,” Shawn W. Gray, a Postmates driver, said in the city’s news release.
