Seattle, WA
Uber, Doordash, and other gig workers in Seattle may be about to face a pay reckoning
Since January, gig delivery workers in Seattle have been reaping the benefits of a local law mandating a certain pay level. Just months later, they could see their incomes cut under proposed revisions.
PayUp, which took effect in the city in January, requires DoorDash, Uber, Instacart, Grubhub, and other delivery apps to pay independent contractors the equivalent of the city’s $19.97 minimum wage — a rule that the app companies have opposed.
But CB 120775, a proposal introduced last month by Seattle City Council President Sara Nelson, would lower the minimum pay for drivers and roll back protections for workers, according to a draft of the legislation.
Under the proposal, gig workers would be paid an hourly rate of $19.97 for their time spent retrieving and delivering orders. While that seems consistent with Seattle’s minimum wage for employees, the gig workers covered by the PayUp law are only paid for “active time” spent working on orders — meaning that time spent trying to claim an order is uncompensated. They’re also responsible for their own costs, such as gas.
Those aspects of the job had led Seattle’s city council to create a system that pays workers based on the miles they drive and the minutes they spend on the job. PayUp also demands that no offer pays less than $5.
The latest proposal would do away with that $5 minimum and the per-minute payment. Instead, gig workers would get paid 35 cents per mile — down from the current 74 cents.
It would also eliminate or cut back other protections for gig workers in the city. For example, a PayUp rule giving workers two minutes to review an order before accepting it would shrink to 45 seconds.
The bill is scheduled for a committee vote on Thursday. If it passes, the proposal could face a vote by the full Council on May 21.
‘That makes a difference’
If that vote passes, the bill will result in a significant pay cut for gig workers, according to estimates released Monday by Working Washington, a group that advocated for PayUp. For example, a gig worker who spent five hours of active time and drove 32 miles would make $15.81 an hour — below the city’s minimum wage — after accounting for expenses, they calculated.
Hourly pay would be even lower — $13.17 — after accounting for the time that a gig worker would likely spend on the apps just to find and claim orders, according to the study.
Justin Taylor, who has delivered and driven for multiple apps in Seattle over the last four years, said his pay has increased by $100 a week on average since PayUp went into effect — even though he’s delivering fewer orders than he did before the law.
“That makes a difference,” he told BI. “It allowed me to do things like install new front brakes on my car.”
If the proposal before Seattle’s City Council becomes law, Taylor said, he’ll once again be reliant on customers’ tips to cover his expenses and make money working for services like DoorDash.
The delivery companies have made it clear that they oppose the changes that took effect in January. In emails and calls to action sent to gig workers, DoorDash, Instacart, Uber, and others have claimed that there are fewer orders for gig workers to claim.
Some shoppers for Instacart have also had to drive miles out of their way to deliver orders in Seattle’s suburbs as the company routed them to stores outside city limits.
Seattle City Council President Nelson did not respond to a request for an interview from Business Insider. In a hearing on the bill on April 25, Nelson said that she had worked with some of the delivery companies as well as Drive Forward, a group whose leadership includes multiple current and former employees for Uber and DoorDash, to draft the bill.
“I want to make sure that people realize this was an agreement that was forged between Drive Forward and the network companies,” she told the Council.
A DoorDash spokesperson told BI: “Predictably, Working Washington’s opposition to this proposal is not rooted in reality. The proposed law guarantees Dashers will earn nearly $20 per hour on delivery in addition to mileage and tips. We’re grateful that Council President Nelson and Drive Forward were able to reconvene stakeholders and reach a compromise that better serves Dashers, local businesses, and consumers in Seattle.”
A spokesperson for Instacart said the company “supports the pragmatic approach being taken by the new Seattle City Council as they balance the needs of workers, customers, and businesses across the city and reform the current version of PayUp legislation.”
“Uber supports the complete package, and believes it will go a long way to ease the operational burdens and costs experienced by customers throughout Seattle and reduce delivery times,” a spokesperson told BI.
But gig worker Taylor said he was dismayed that the delivery companies have had such a direct role in developing the bill that would replace PayUp.
“To me, it’s basically saying we’re allowing lobbyists to write our laws,” Taylor said.
Do you deliver food, groceries, or other items as a gig worker and have a story idea to share? Reach out to this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com
Thanks for the tips and texted photo. The helicopters that were flying over northwest West Seattle are US Army helicopters, flying out of, and returning to, Joint Base Lewis-McChord in the South Sound. They’re often seen up here on training flights. Some wondered if it might be World Cup flyover practice, with the match two days away. Since their flight path included SODO, that could be; we’re checking.
Seattle, WA
Cal Raleigh two-run single lifts Seattle Mariners to 3-1 win over Orioles in return from injured list
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JUNE 16: Cal Raleigh #29 of the Seattle Mariners hits a RBI single in the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at T-Mobile Park on June 16, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Kevin Ng / Getty Images)
SEATTLE – Cal Raleigh came up big in his return to action for the Seattle Mariners, carrying a short-handed roster to a 3-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night.
Raleigh’s bases loaded two-run single off Baltimore reliever Grant Wolfram in the seventh inning served as the decisive blow for Seattle. Logan Gilbert was also terrific over seven innings for the Mariners, reaching double-digit strikeouts for the first time this season.
After the lineup was held in check by Orioles’ starter Brandon Young for the first six innings of the contest, Victor Robles and Colt Emerson led off the seventh inning with a pair of singles to end Young’s night. A sacrifice bunt from Miles Mastrobuoni advanced the runners before J.P. Crawford – also freshly back from the injured list – drew a walk to load the bases for Raleigh.
Raleigh then placed a slider from Wolfram into shallow left-center field as Robles and Emerson raced home to give the Mariners a 3-1 advantage.
Eduard Bazardo and Andrés Muñoz polished off a terrific pitching performance overall for Seattle to close out the victory. Gilbert allowed one run on two hits with a walk, a hit batter, and 10 strikeouts – his first outing of the season with double-digit strikeouts.
But Raleigh’s impact was needed for the Mariners. Randy Arozarena was a late placement on the injured list after an MRI this afternoon revealed more inflammation in his hamstring than anticipated. It necessitated a call-up of Single-A outfielder Curtis Washington Jr. from Everett to serve as an emergency option on the bench.
Josh Naylor was out of the lineup with shin and wrist injuries, and Luke Raley was held out of the lineup due to a tight back that flared up in pregame. It left the team without much margin for error from a personnel standpoint.
So Cal did what stars need to do and carried the load.
Crawford reached base three times in his return to action as well, drawing two walks and adding a hit, and Raleigh had a walk and the big single to lead the Mariners offense.
Gilbert was dominant after allowing his only run of the night in the first inning. Taylor Ward doubled to lead off the game and came around to score on a two-out single from Samuel Basallo that put Baltimore up 1-0 early.
Young walked Miles Mastrobuoni and Crawford in the third inning to put a pair of runners on, and Julio Rodríguez’s two-out single landed in a very similar spot to Raleigh’s later on to tie the game at 1-1.
Young finished with all three runs earned on four hits with four walks and two strikeouts for Baltimore in taking the loss.
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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SEATTLE – An 18-year-old Seattle student won the national “Doodle for Google” art competition, securing a major scholarship and directing a massive technology prize to a local public high school.
Kameriah Johnson, who graduated from Seattle’s Lakeside School last week, won the contest with a custom Google logo celebrating Black hair. Alongside her $55,000 scholarship, Johnson chose to redirect the accompanying $50,000 Google technology package away from her own private school to Rainier Beach High School.
Kameriah Johnson’s winning “Doodle for Google” submission.
Redirecting funds for a bigger impact
What they’re saying:
Johnson says she requested that the money goes to a school where she felt the impact would be greater.
“It’s a private school in Seattle and we have a lot of funding,” Johnson said of Lakeside School. “I’m very thankful to go there and we have a lot of resources, and I just wanted to give it to a school who would use the resources better and for kids who look like me.”
When Johnson’s father notified the principal at Rainier Beach High School about the incoming donation, the reaction was immediate.
“The principal started crying and she was so, so thankful,” Johnson said.
Artwork rooted in identity and culture
The national competition challenged students to create artwork based on the theme, “My superpower is…”
Johnson chose her heritage and her hair as the inspiration for the winning design, which earned her a $55,000 college scholarship.
The custom logo features illustrations representing Johnson, her mother, and her sister. The design highlights diverse hairstyles, incorporating braids, afro puffs, and cornrows.
“I am Black, I have a lot of pride in my culture and who I am,” Johnson said. “I always found power and strength in what makes us different, and specifically my people.”
Johnson noted that her artwork reflects a shift in cultural representation across generations.
“I grew up in a generation where I could look at the screen and I could read books and I could see people who look like me, but I know my mom didn’t so much,” Johnson said.
Artistry and community activism
The winning design has received widespread recognition and viral support across social media platforms, including Black Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
For Johnson, the project aligns with her broader dedication to community work and social change. Earlier this year, the teenager helped organize a student protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“With everything I do, it’s rooted in community, it’s rooted in love, and I’d say it’s also rooted in Christ because I am Christian,” Johnson said. “Finding ways where I can use my art to make social change, to make a difference, to help people—at the end of the day, if it doesn’t make an impact or make someone feel something, it’s all kind of pointless.”
Kameriah Johnson (FOX 13 Seattle)
Following her graduation and national contest win, Johnson is preparing to attend New York University in the fall.
You can find more of her artwork here.
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The Source: Information in this story came from original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.
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