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“I was doing everything I could to support my family — and then they deactivated me without warning.”
Yelkal, a Seattle area gig worker

Yelkal has driven Seattle’s busy streets for over four years, navigating traffic jams and our unpredictable weather to put food on other people’s tables as well as his own. Like many immigrant gig workers, Yelkal has juggled long hours on the road while working across multiple apps in order to support his growing family. (Delivering meals through apps like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub can be challenging at times due to unpredictable order volumes, farflung destinations, and inconsiderate businesses or customers.)

But then, last year, life threw Yelkal a joyful curveball and he and his wife welcomed a newborn child into their family. As any caring partner would do, Yelkal paused his wild schedule to step up and take care of his wife and newborn baby.

His next step should have been simple and straightforward. Gig workers in Seattle came together to win our inclusion in the Paid Sick And Safe Time (PSST) law back in 2023. When Yelkal tried to use his hard-earned sick time through DoorDash in order to have some income during such an important period of his life, they ghosted him. His request seemingly vanished without a trace and was never processed.

The very next day after trying to apply to use his PSST, they threw a gut punch. DoorDash abruptly deactivated his account. The company gave Yelkal a bogus excuse in an attempt to justify what they were doing to him and his family. The company claimed that his offer completion rate had dipped just below their arbitrary 90% threshold.

Baffled by their reasoning for preventing him from taking on more work through their app, Yelkal immediately appealed his deactivation with DoorDash. Yelkal explained the dip in his completion rate, “I wasn’t working because I was helping my wife with the new baby.” If he had been talking to a sympathetic person, his issue would likely have been resolved then and there. But DoorDash? “They didn’t care,” Yelkal said. “They just said their decision was final.”

Yelkal reached out to our team in January for help. Together we formed a plan to most effectively challenge his deactivation. We diligently documented the circumstances around being deactivated and dug deeper into DoorDash’s shady actions, including requesting delivery records to determine which orders had allegedly impacted the order completion rate. In the meantime we filed a complaint with the Seattle Office of Labor Standards (OLS). DoorDash refused to cooperate with even the most basic data about Yelkal’s own delivery history. It shouldn’t have felt like pulling teeth, with weeks passing with DoorDash stubbornly refusing to cooperate. If there’s one thing we know, it is that workers don’t win by backing down. We were persistent and our pressure finally broke through DoorDash’s resistance so that we were able to obtain some documentation which we were able to turn over to OLS.

In March, after almost a full year of being unfairly deactivated simply for trying to care for his family and access a benefit he had a right to by law, Yelkal got good news: DoorDash had reinstated his account. The greedy corporation didn’t just decide to do the right thing. Yelkal spoke up, sought help from other gig workers, and together we were able to strategize and organize to fight for what we deserve.

 

ELIGIÓ USAR SU TIEMPO DE ENFERMEDAD PARA CUIDAR A SU FAMILIA, LA APLICACION LO DESACTIVÓ: CÓMO UN TRABAJADOR DE APLICACIONES LUCHÓ Y GANÓ

“Hacía todo lo que podía para mantener a mi familia y luego me desactivaron sin previo aviso”. (Traducido de inglés)
Yelkal, trabajador autónomo de Seattle

Yelkal lleva más de cuatro años conduciendo por las calles concurridas de Seattle, sorteando atascos de tráfico y nuestro impredecible clima para poner comida en las mesas de otras personas y en la suya propia. Como muchos inmigrantes que trabajan en aplicaciones, Yelkal ha tenido que hacer malabarismos durante largas horas en la carretera mientras trabajaba en varias aplicaciones para mantener a su creciente familia. (El reparto de comida a través de aplicaciones como Uber Eats, DoorDash y Grubhub puede ser complicado a veces debido al volumen impredecible de los pedidos, los destinos lejanos y los negocios o clientes desconsiderados.)

El año pasado, la vida le lanzó una alegre bola curva y él y su esposa dieron la bienvenida a su familia su bebé recién nacido. Como haría cualquier pareja que se precie, Yelkal hizo una pausa en su alocada agenda para cuidar a su esposa y bebé recién nacido. Su siguiente paso debería haber sido sencillo. En el 2023, los trabajadores de aplicaciones en Seattle nos unimos para conseguir nuestra inclusión en la ordenanza de permisos por enfermedad pagados (PSST, por sus siglas en inglés). Cuando Yelkal trató de utilizar su tiempo de enfermedad que había ganado con tanto esfuerzo a través de su trabajo con DoorDash, para obtener algunos ingresos durante un período tan importante de su vida, lo ghostearon. Su solicitud nunca se procesó y al parecer desapareció sin dejar rastro.

Al día siguiente, le dieron un golpe bajo. DoorDash desactivó bruscamente su cuenta. La compañía le dio a Yelkal una excusa descabellada para intentar justificar lo que le estaban haciéndole a él y a su familia. La compañía alegó que su tasa de finalización de ofertas había caído por debajo de su umbral arbitrario del 90%.

Desconcertado por su razonamiento para evitar que asumiera más trabajo a través de su aplicación, Yelkal apeló inmediatamente su desactivación de DoorDash. Yelkal explicó el descenso de su tasa de finalización: “No estaba trabajando porque estaba ayudando a mi mujer con el nuevo bebé”. Si hubiera estado hablando con una persona compasiva, eso habría resuelto el problema. ¿Pero DoorDash? “No les importó”, dijo Yelkal. “Solo dijeron que su decisión era definitiva”.

Yelkal se puso en contacto con nuestro equipo en enero para pedir ayuda. Juntos elaboramos un plan para impugnar su desactivación de la forma más eficaz. Documentamos diligentemente las circunstancias que rodearon su desactivación y profundizamos en las turbias acciones de DoorDash, incluida la solicitud de registros de entrega para determinar qué pedidos habían afectado supuestamente a la tasa de finalización de pedidos. Mientras tanto, presentamos una queja ante la Oficina de Normas Laborales de Seattle (OLS). DoorDash se negó a cooperar incluso con los datos más básicos sobre el propio historial de entregas de Yelkal. No debería haber sentido como tirar de los dientes, con semanas que pasan con DoorDash obstinadamente se niega a cooperar. Si hay algo que sabemos es que los trabajadores no ganan echándose atrás. Fuimos persistentes y nuestra presión finalmente rompió la resistencia de DoorDash, de modo que pudimos obtener alguna documentación que pudimos entregar a OLS.

En marzo, después de casi un año entero de estar injustamente desactivado simplemente por intentar cuidar de su familia y acceder a una prestación a la que tenía derecho por ley, Yelkal recibió buenas noticias: DoorDash había restablecido su cuenta. La codiciosa corporación no decidió simplemente hacer lo correcto. Yelkal alzó la voz, buscó la ayuda de otros trabajadores por cuenta ajena y juntos pudimos elaborar estrategias y organizarnos para luchar por lo que merecemos.

In Washington state, thousands of domestic workers—nannies, house cleaners, and caregivers—work without the most basic labor protections. Many face wage theft, unfair working conditions, and employer exploitation. Seattle workers won the Seattle Domestic Workers Ordinance that establishes overdue protections for domestic workers in the city, but workers statewide still lack clear, enforceable rights—which is why we are fighting for a Washington Domestic Workers Bill of Rights.

Recently, our legal team at Working Washington and Fair Work Center represented a domestic worker in a case that highlights why these protections are so urgently needed.

This worker, referred to our legal team through Casa Latina, had recently immigrated from Honduras. She and her adolescent daughter were living in a women’s shelter while she tried to establish financial stability. Like many domestic workers, she faced unpredictable work schedules, no guaranteed wages, and no labor protections.

Throughout her employment, her employer denied her rest breaks—a violation of Seattle labor laws. When she needed to take legally protected sick time, her employer denied this. Additionally, the employer offered to loan her money for car repairs but charged exorbitant, undisclosed interest, trapping her in a cycle of debt. Ultimately, the instability of the job forced her to step away voluntarily.

When our legal team got involved, we helped the worker calculate her damages, which included:

• Missed meal and rest breaks
• Recovering the unfairly charged interest from the loan
• Penalties for being denied protected sick time

She initially sought $9,500 in damages, but penalties for the employer’s violations pushed her case above the $10,000 cap for small claims court. After sending a demand letter, the employer hired a lawyer and attempted to intimidate her—a common tactic used against immigrant workers. But with legal support and persistence, she secured a $15,000 settlement, enough to move her family into stable housing.

The Bigger Picture: Why We Need a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights

This case is a hopeful story, but no worker should have to go through this just to claim their basic rights. Employers exploit the vulnerabilities of immigrant workers, using fear and misinformation to prevent them from speaking out. But the truth is that all workers—regardless of immigration status—have rights.

If the Washington Domestic Workers Bill of Rights were in place, this worker wouldn’t have had to fight for what she deserves, such as:

✅ Paid sick leave

✅ Overtime pay

✅ A guaranteed minimum wage

✅ The right to rest breaks

Domestic workers play a vital role in our economy and communities. It’s time we recognize their work and pass this bill to ensure they are treated with the dignity and fairness they deserve.

Take Action

Our fight isn’t over. Join us in pushing for a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in Washington! Here’s how you can help:

📢 Share this story to raise awareness.

📞 Call your legislators and tell them to support worker protections by passing Senate bill 5023

Together, we can ensure no domestic worker is left unprotected.

 

Celebrating five years!

Five years ago the city of Seattle set a powerful and historic precedent as the first city in the nation to have a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. 

Who is a domestic worker?
Domestic workers are those who provide paid services to an individual or household in a private home as a nanny, house cleaner, home care worker, gardener, cook, and/or household manager. These workers have been historically excluded from the same rights other workers have long enjoyed.

What does it do? 

The Domestic Worker Ordinance establishes:

• Minimum wage for domestic workers
• Provision of meal periods
• Rest breaks
• The right to keep personal documents.
• Establishing the Domestic Worker Standards Board (DWSB)

Who made it happen: 

None of this would have happened without the tireless efforts of the Nanny Collective, along with worker champion Teresa Mosqueda, and our community partners Casa Latina, Hand in Hand, National Domestic Workers Alliance, and friends in the labor community!

La lucha sigue: 

The fight continues! Today, we celebrate; tomorrow, we press on to make this ordinance cover exploited domestic workers all over the state of Washington. Although Seattle was the first city to have such an ordinance, eleven states have also now enshrined domestic worker protections, and Washington must do the same.

How can I help? 

• Follow the Nanny Collective on Facebook and Instagram! 
• Donate to Fair Work Center and empower your domestic worker neighbors in Washington state.
• Come celebrate with us! We’ll be gathered at Pratt Park (201 20th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98144) on Monday July 1st from 5pm-8pm. Refreshments and activities will be provided! Children and families are all welcome as we mark this historic milestone.

 

Bosses back down when workers have access to legal resources:

Vineyard workers in Sunnyside, WA were injured and needed to take time off to recover, only to find their entire crew laid off shortly after. Our clients sought, and were granted, PFML for the injury, but the employer appealed, claiming they had walked off the job.  If the employer had been successful, our clients would have lost the right to their paid leave, and might have had to pay back any amounts they already received. After additional documentation and a notice of appearance entered by our legal team, the employer backed down. 

No small thing:

A nanny client recently won her small claims trial and was paid by her ex-employer! This means she won’t have to fight an appeal or figure out how to collect her money. And because empowered workers empower others, she hopes to inspire other nannies to exercise their rights, and has been supporting another Nanny Collective member to prepare for her trial.

 

Skewering some stolen wages:

Two food truck workers from MoMo’s Kebab in Seattle came to us when their bosses were stealing tips and underpaying them. After our legal team backed them up in some pitched negotiations, the workers won back wages. Checks in hands and hopefully lessons learned by some food truck bosses.  

 

Are your rights at work being violated?

If you’re interested in a training, one on one information session, or a free consultation with our lawyers, visit our office in Seattle or Yakima, email help@fairworkcenter.org, or fill out this form.