Delivery drivers and other employees for Instacart and DoorDash have had their fair share of battles for better pay, and now Postmates drivers are rallying for their own cause.
Postmates workers are now requesting minimum delivery guarantees, and higher wages after the company recently changed its pay structure, according to TechCrunch.
Postmates used to pay workers a base rate per job, plus per-minute wait time rates and per-mile rates. The company also incorporated $4 minimum guarantees for each job that required Postmates to make up the difference for any orders that did not hit the minimum.
Now Postmates does not have a minimum guarantee, and workers fear that they will be paid below the minimum wage.
“Technological innovations reduced pick up times, and route efficiencies are increasing the rate and pace of deliveries a Postmates can choose to make in a given hour, increasing payout averages from $17/hour in 2018 to $19/hour in 2019,” a Postmates spokesperson told TechCrunch.
The spokesperson also said getting rid of the minimum guarantee allowed workers more transparency on how they are getting paid.
Organizers with Working Washington are pushing for better pay for Postmate workers.
“Postmates is worth nearly $2 billion. They can afford to pay workers more than $4 per job — but as they prepare to go public and continue their race to the bottom against companies like DoorDash and UberEats, they’re cutting our pay even as our costs increase,” Working Washington said in a blog post.
Instacart and DoorDash received similar backlash for subsidizing drivers’ tips, marking a trend in gig delivery drivers’ pay. As delivery services like Instacart and Postmates move closer to IPOs, pay will continuously come into question.
