DoorDash couriers are struggling to secure COVID sick pay and get back to work during the Omicron surge

NEW YORK, Feb 1 (Reuters) – A COVID support policy at DoorDash Inc (DASH.N) is frustrating some couriers, who told Reuters the food delivery company paused them for a month while infections were caused by the Omicron variant of Das Coronavirus flared up and cost them much needed income.

DoorDash launched its COVID-19 Financial Assistance Program in March 2020, offering a one-time payment equal to their average earnings over the past two weeks to a driver who tests positive for COVID, or whose roommate tests positive.

“Upon submitting an application for COVID-19 health-related financial assistance, your Dasher account will be suspended to protect the DoorDash community,” DoorDash said in a March 12, 2020 email to its drivers announcing the program would.

But six DoorDash couriers told Reuters that during the recent Omicron surge, DoorDash delayed making aid payments and suspended drivers’ DoorDash accounts for extended periods, adding to the financial strain on gig workers who deliver groceries for a living .

When Cincinnati-based Doordash driver Josh Murphy notified the company of his roommate’s positive COVID-19 test result on Dec. 21, DoorDash immediately deactivated Murphy’s account for over three weeks — well past his 10-day quarantine period.

Murphy said he missed work he would normally deliver for 17 days. He eventually received a check for $622 — but he estimates the prolonged deactivation of the account was a net loss of $1,000 even after the payment was made.

“I regret asking for the assistance even though I needed it to pay the rent,” Murphy said.

A spokesman for San Francisco-based DoorDash said in most cases, medically licensed drivers, known as dashers, are back online within 24 hours.

“When a Dasher submits a qualifying claim, our team works quickly to process their two-week replacement and suspend their Dasher account to protect the DoorDash community,” she said.

DoorDash has dedicated team members to process requests for financial assistance and reactivations after dashers have been medically cleared. The company has added additional team members to this group since the pandemic began, she noted, adding that significant delays are not widespread.

DoorDash declined to provide the number of couriers who have requested financial assistance since the pandemic began. DoorDash counted nearly 3 million people providing services, or “dashed,” in the third quarter, earning over $2.8 billion from drivers. The company announces fourth-quarter results on February 16.

“MY ONLY SOURCE OF INCOME”

Obtaining financial assistance or paid sick leave for a COVID-related absence is particularly difficult for gig workers who lack benefits.

Uber Technologies (UBER.N) ended its COVID driver financial assistance policy in August 2021. Lyft (LYFT.O), Grubhub and Instacart are still paying COVID sick pay and, like DoorDash, are temporarily suspending workers’ accounts after requesting financial assistance, company spokespersons said.

“Nobody’s forcing (gig economy companies) to support the workers because we’re not employees,” said Gustavo Ajche, a DoorDash courier in New York City and a member of the Los Deliveristas Unidos union.

App-based delivery companies treat couriers as independent contractors. DoorDash in November agreed to pay more than $5 million to settle a San Francisco investigation into alleged labor law violations. The city alleged that DoorDash violated health care and paid sick leave laws by misclassifying workers as independent contractors rather than employees.

Complaints among DoorDash couriers about account suspensions and delays increased with the rise of Omicron in late 2021, according to social media posts.

Chris Lewis of Long Beach, California applied for COVID grants on January 4th. Emails viewed by Reuters show he had not received a response from the company as of January 18 asking him to confirm his positive COVID test.

Lewis, who has already recovered from COVID, finally found out on January 28 that he was eligible for financial assistance.

Allie, a DoorDash driver in the Minneapolis suburbs, submitted an application for COVID financial aid to the company when she tested positive just before Christmas. Her DoorDash account has been suspended for over four weeks and she has yet to receive sick pay, which she estimates amounts to $2,000 in lost income.

“I don’t want to continue with the financial support,” she wrote in an email to DoorDash’s support team on Jan. 14, “because I lose more money not falling and it’s my only source of income.”

Reporting by Danielle Kaye; Edited by Vanessa O’Connell and Bill Berkrot

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