HARRISBURG―Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and Instacart, one of the fastest growing grocery delivery platform companies in the U.S., are teaming up on a significant public-private collaboration to expand financial, health, and childcare-related support to Pennsylvania Instacart “shoppers.”
“Now is the time for companies to step up and protect their workers and our communities as we combat this pandemic,” said Attorney General Shapiro. “These protections will ensure Instacart workers have paid sick leave, access to telemedicine, and child care assistance. We are all relying on these frontline workers making deliveries and getting people the essentials needed during the COVID-19 emergency. I applaud Instacart for doing right by their workers, those they serve, and for their generous contribution to address food insecurity in vulnerable communities. We need others to do the same.”
As part of its agreement with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Instacart is also donating $50,000 to the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank to fight food insecurity in the Commonwealth. The donation is the largest made in Instacart’s history, nearly doubling previous donations made in New York and California.
“The health and safety of Instacart shoppers has remained our top priority. As this crisis continues to impact the communities we serve, it’s critically important to us that we expand and evolve our offerings in support of the ongoing needs of shoppers and provide peace of mind in the midst of uncertainty. By offering access to a telemedicine pilot program and expanding our extended pay program, we’re providing critical resources and financial assistance to thousands of shoppers who may not otherwise be able to see a doctor or screen for COVID-19 symptoms. Furthermore, we want to provide additional assistance to parents and caregivers whose schools and daycare centers have been closed due to COVID-19. We’re proud to partner with Attorney General Shapiro to expand our protections and continue supporting shoppers who are providing an essential service in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis,” said Nilam Ganenthiran, President of Instacart.
Instacart and the Office of Pennsylvania Attorney General have agreed that Instacart will expand the support the company has been providing to Pennsylvania shoppers during the emergency:
- Instacart will expand COVID-19 Extended Pay for shoppers who have tested positive or been diagnosed with a probable case of COVID-19 or who have been instructed to self-quarantine. Shoppers will be eligible if they have been active on Instacart for 30 days, and have completed at least 1 delivery in the past 14 days. Instacart will accept documentation from a medical health professional or a public health authority for either category. Instacart will no longer only require a positive COVID-19 test or accept a quarantine order from a public health official.
- Instacart will provide free telemedicine offering to any active shopper for appointments related to COVID-19 concerns. It will provide free access to Doctor on Demand to workers who need COVID-19-related consultations, including documentation of diagnosis, symptom management, whether to seek in-person medical treatment, and when to safely return to work/discontinue isolation.
- Instacart will offer a Childcare Assistance Pay Program to shoppers who have primary childcare responsibilities for children whose schools and daycare have been closed because of COVID-19, provided they meet the eligibility threshold of having shopped at least 50 batches in the prior 30 days. Documentation from the school or daycare will be required for this program, which will provide financial assistance to parents during the time period that was scheduled to be the end of the school year.
Chief Deputy Attorney General Nancy Walker, Deputy Attorney General Catherine Twigg, and the Fair Labor Section worked on this agreement protecting Instacart workers on behalf of the Office of Attorney General.
This is the second public-private collaboration struck by Attorney General Shapiro to protect workers in the gig economy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last month, Attorney General Shapiro announced a partnership with DoorDash to expand financial, health, and childcare-related support for gig workers.
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