Many customers don’t realize how little DoorDash drivers make. A 2020 study found that dashers earn an average of $1.45 per hour after factoring in expenses. This is a job that often depends on gratuities, yet many customers don’t seem to understand that. One DoorDash customer shares how a handwritten note from a driver named Leah made him realize the importance of tipping. He believes that if all drivers did something similar, tipping would increase significantly.
A group of over 20 drivers gathered at Worcester City Hall on Tuesday to support a proposed ballot question that would classify app-based drivers as independent contractors, while also providing them with new benefits such as paid time off and healthcare stipends. Independent contractor status allows drivers to balance work, studies, and family life with more flexibility than full-time employees. The rally was organized by Flexibility and Benefits for Massachusetts Drivers, an organization that previously supported a similar ballot question in 2022. The ballot question will be reviewed by the state Legislature, which could approve it into law without a vote or allow voters to decide in the November 2024 general election. A second ballot question backed by labor unions seeks to allow ride-share drivers to form a union.
