There is no denying the fact that a human mind, when allowed, can flourish to an unimaginable extent. This is, of course, made possible by a range of elements at work. For instance, being able to blend our core creativity with the general persistence has helped us over the years in achieving some really important milestones. This requirement of collectivism is also felt when it comes to making things happen in the real world. No disregard of an individual skill-set, but it’s almost impossible for us to make a sizeable difference in the absence of any collaboration with the outer world. Such a dynamic was expected to diminish once technology came to the fore. After all, we finally had a tool that was smarter than any human being out there, so what’s the point of relying on others? Well, as it turned out, we still required an all-inclusive push to get the best out of this ingenious creation. Hence, the world set off on a journey to discover unique ways through which technology can move the needle in our lives. With a step-by-step approach, we started to find what we were looking for, and that directly resulted in stronger and better tech-centric prospects. These prospects, as we know, were largely based around one digital realm. Ever since the initial discoveries, we have continued to make the said digital realm a more refined force. However, one company behind this revolution apparently went over the law to put their stamp.
After landing in hot waters recently for benefits violations, DoorDash has now agreed to fork out a sum worth $5.3 million to reach settlement with the governing authorities of San Francisco. The violations occurred when the food delivery platform refused to provide healthcare and paid sick leave benefits to over 4,500 workers, a move that went against the city mandate. As shocking as it sounds, the practice went on for four years between 2016 and 2020 and only stopped once gig workers law came into effect last year. If reports are to be believed, then the money collected from DoorDash will be used to compensate the affected drivers, with the average reimbursement falling mainly between $500 and $1,000.
“We believe (DoorDash couriers) were misclassified and should have been employees for years,” said San Francisco City Attorney, David Chiu, while talking to San Francisco Chronicle. “That is not part of the settlement but it is the perspective of the city.”
Companies like DoorDash, Uber, Postmates, and many more have long been evasive of considering their drivers as full-time employees. This has led to many intense court battles, but those days might just be behind us. The newly-imposed gig workers law tips the scale in businesses’ favor, giving them every bit of freedom to consider their drivers as mere independent contractors.
