Seattle approved higher pay for gig workers. So why didn't their pay change that much?

A couple years ago, Seattle passed a law to pay delivery drivers more for their labor. 

The policy guaranteed these gig workers minimum compensation. The idea was to protect people working for apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash. 

…. And it stirred up some big reactions.  

Delivery companies protested the change. Restaurant owners said the policy hurt business. And some City Councilmembers considered rolling the law back just a few months after it went into effect. 

After all that fuss…. researchers have found that the pay for these drivers hasn’t actually changed that much.

Guest: 

• Andrew Garin, an Associate Professor of Economics at Carnegie Mellon University. 

Related links:

• KUOW - Seattle's gig worker law was supposed to boost pay. It did at first, until orders dropped
• Wage standard for Seattle delivery drivers at an impasse | The Seattle Times
• KUOW - Seattle has a new gig worker minimum wage. Who's benefiting and who's footing the bill?

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