More than 50 gig workers have been killed while driving for companies like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash since 2017. The report released by the advocacy group Gig Workers Rising identified a lack of support and almost no compensation after the death of the workers.
Gig workers unlike regular employees do not receive compensation, like survivor benefits even when they are killed on the job.
According to Catherine Fisk, an expert on labor law at the University of California, gig workers’ families cannot access the court system to file something like a wrongful death lawsuit.
Federal statistics show that driving a cab is one of the most deadly jobs in the country when it comes to the chance of workplace homicide.
Knowing the exact number of people who died or were killed while working for gig companies is very difficult. This is because the data and other safety reports are not made known or accessible to the public.
The advocacy group was only able to compile the report using news reports, and GoFundMe campaigns which focus on drivers killed by passengers or passers-by.
The sources for this piece include an article in NPR.