AG Shapiro and DoorDash Announce Expanded Gig Worker Protection During COVID-19 Emergency

May 4, 2020 | Topic: Peoples AG

HARRISBURG―Attorney General Josh Shapiro today joined DoorDash CEO Tony Xu to announce that the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and DoorDash, the largest food delivery network company in the U.S., have worked together in a landmark public-private collaboration to expand financial, health, and childcare-related support to DoorDash and Caviar gig workers (known as “Dashers”).

“I commend the team at DoorDash for its strong leadership in setting a new standard, which I hope will inspire others to act,” said Attorney General Shapiro. “We need other gig economy companies to step up and prioritize the health and safety of workers—especially those on the front lines still making deliveries and interacting with the public during the COVID-19 emergency.”

In addition to these expanded worker protections, Attorney General Shapiro arranged to have DoorDash partner with the cities of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh through Project DASH to deliver groceries, meals, or supplies to low-income, home-bound seniors and vulnerable populations. The Attorney General worked with Mayor Kenney of Philadelphia and Mayor Peduto of Pittsburgh to coordinate this effort.

“We’re proud to partner with Attorney General Shapiro to expand our support to Dashers who are doing so much to support their communities during this crisis,” said Tony Xu, DoorDash CEO. “Helping Dashers keep themselves and their families safe, healthy and cared for is our priority, and we know it is important for companies like DoorDash to do our part.”

DoorDash and the Office of Pennsylvania Attorney General are proud to announce that DoorDash will expand the support DoorDash has been providing to Dashers and the Pennsylvania community during the emergency:

  • DoorDash will expand COVID-19 Financial Assistance for Dashers who have tested positive or been diagnosed with a probable case of COVID-19, who have been instructed to self-quarantine, who are at higher risk for severe illness due to COVID-19, or who have a housemate who meets any of these criteria. Dashers will now qualify if they have been active on DoorDash or Caviar for 30 days and have completed at least 30 deliveries in the past 30 days. Previously, Dashers had to have been active for at least 60 days. Dashers can learn more and apply at https://help.doordash.com/dashers/s/article/COVID-19-Financial-Assistance-Program?language=en_US.
  • DoorDash will provide subsidized telehealth access to any active Dasher for appointments related to COVID-19 concerns. https://help.doordash.com/dashers/s/article/DoorDash-Doctor-on-Demand?language=en_US
  • DoorDash will provide financial assistance to Top Dashers who have primary childcare responsibilities for children whose schools and daycare have been closed because of COVID-19. Applications for this program, which will provide a financial bridge to parents until Pandemic Unemployment Assistance becomes available, will be open for two weeks.
  • Through Project DASH, DoorDash will establish a fund to enable select social service organizations to provide last-mile delivery of food and/or supplies to vulnerable communities throughout Pittsburgh and Philadelphia during the COVID-19 emergency. https://blog.doordash.com/expanding-project-dash-to-serve-vulnerable-communities-in-the-face-of-covid-19-14bab3b3b199
  • DoorDash will partner with Pennsylvania hospitals to donate DashPass subscriptions to healthcare workers for free for at least 60 days, offering unlimited $0 delivery fees from thousands of local restaurants to healthcare employees. Hospitals interested in participating in the program can sign up at https://get.doordash.com/dashpass-for-healthcare.

In addition to these new and expanded programs, DoorDash has provided free personal protective equipment to Dashers, no-contact delivery options to protect Pennsylvanians, and is supporting local Pennsylvania restaurants by among other things reducing the amount restaurants with five or fewer locations pay to offer delivery by 50% through the end of May.

Chief Deputy Attorney General Nancy Walker, Deputy Attorney General Catherine Twigg, and the Fair Labor Section worked on the landmark agreement protecting DoorDash workers on behalf of the Office of Attorney General.

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