Sick pay — and workers’ ability to access it — has never been a more pressing issue. But an entire demographic of contributors is being left out of the conversation.
In March 2020, food delivery service DoorDash launched its COVID-19 Financial Assistance Program, offering DoorDash drivers retroactive sick pay if they can provide a positive COVID test result. But some couriers have struggled to secure their compensation due to the lengthy test-validation process, as recently reported by Reuters. It’s a problem emblematic of the challenges gig workers nationwide have faced throughout the pandemic.
