It’s simple:
No worker in Seattle should earn less than the minimum wage once they subtract their expenses.
That includes Uber and Lyft drivers, who work long hours to help all of us get where we need to go.
Yesterday, I sat down with some of those drivers to hear their stories, to talk about why Uber and Lyft drivers should be able to afford to live in the same city as the people they drive, and to hear more about what the City of Seattle can do to support them.
We also discussed how some Uber and Lyft drivers are not making the minimum wage, while the billion-dollar companies they work for are profiting from using the City’s public resources, like our right of way and curb space.
They agree: It’s time for a Fare Share for Seattle: Our plan to invest in workers, housing near transit, and transit and transportation projects.
As I wrote you last month, our Fare Share plan will:
- Ensure Uber and Lyft drivers earn at least a minimum wage, plus benefits and expenses, beginning July 1, 2020;
- Invest in landmark worker protections, including a first-in-the-nation Driver Resolution Center;
- Invest in transit and fully fund the Center City Connector streetcar; and
- Support more than 500 new affordable homes near transit for people earning between $15 and $25 per hour.
This week, I transmitted legislation to City Council to make our Fare Share plan a reality.
Seattle is a national leader in ensuring our workers are treated fairly and have the resources they need to build a better life for themselves and their loved ones. From the Fight for $15 to our Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, we’ve always been the city that puts our workers before any company’s bottom line.
Now we have a chance to establish a model that ensures Uber and Lyft drivers are fairly compensated for the hours they truly work, the expenses they shoulder, and the benefits they deserve – regardless of whether they are currently classified as independent contractors.
And as Seattle grows, we also have a chance to make it easier for workers like Seattle’s nurse assistants, construction workers, and preschool teachers to afford to live near where they work, and to help ensure that everyone, regardless of income or ability level, has access to high-quality transit.
This plan is about fighting for working families – because that’s what we do in Seattle. It’s about growing into the city we want to be.
I want to hear from you: What do you think of my plan for a Fare Share for Seattle? And if you’ve worked or are working as an Uber or Lyft driver, I’d love to hear about your experience, and what you think of my Fare Share plan.
Please continue to write me at Jenny.Durkan@seattle.gov, reach out via Twitter and Facebook, and stay up-to-date on the work we’re doing for the people of Seattle on my blog.
Sincerely,
