Seattle tried to guarantee higher pay for delivery drivers – here’s why it didn’t work as intended

Base pay rose as intended, but the drivers’ total compensation, including tips, didn’t increase.

By: Andrew Garin, Carnegie Mellon University; Brian K. Kovak, Carnegie Mellon University, and Yuan An, Carnegie Mellon University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: March 19, 2026

Words: 1,277

Last Updated: 1 day, 18 hours ago

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By Andrew Garin, Carnegie Mellon University; Brian K. Kovak, Carnegie Mellon University, and Yuan An, Carnegie Mellon University

If you’ve ever ordered food through DoorDash, Uber Eats or Instacart, you may have realized the person who delivers it isn’t a salaried employee. They’re gig workers – independent contractors who pick up delivery tasks through an app, get paid per delivery and have no guaranteed hours, benefits or minimum wage protections.

Policymakers in several cities …

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