Hundreds of Toronto food delivery drivers protest downtown over pay and safety
A newly formed group of more than 900 delivery workers rallied downtown and marched to Uber Canada's headquarters.
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Hundreds of food delivery drivers rallied at Nathan Phillips Square on Monday, demanding fair pay, safer working conditions and what they called dignity at work. The group, Delivery Drivers United, is newly formed and says it has more than 900 members who deliver for Uber Eats, Skip and DoorDash.
Ameer Ali, a driver who works for Uber Eats and DoorDash, described the job as close to impossible to make a living at. "We are working 24 by seven. We are putting our lives at risk on roads ... We are risking our lives to deliver something good for the customers," he told the crowd. He gave one example: a $3 order, six kilometres, 45 minutes to deliver.
From the square, drivers marched to Uber Canada's headquarters at Bloor and Church streets to deliver a letter of demands. Those demands include a living wage, a transparent process for calculating base fare before tips, an explanation of how unexpected wait times are factored into pay, expanded health insurance covering on-the-job accidents, and guaranteed access to restaurant washrooms and indoor waiting space.
Samuel Nithiananthan, a Toronto community organizer working with the group, said the group has met for months in parking lots, restaurants and apartments. "Most of these drivers are making $1.50 a delivery for 30 minutes, $3 a delivery — and Uber made $52 billion last year."
Uber Canada said it provides pay transparency, meets provincial minimum wage standards and preserves a flexible work model. Spokesperson Isha Chaudhuri said, "We appreciate delivery people raising what matters to them." Skip and DoorDash gave similar general statements.
