After weeks of resistance, food-delivery service DoorDash is acknowledging that not all its drivers are happy with how much they get paid.
Citing, “a lot of discussion in the media about our pay model,” DoorDash CEO and co-founder Tony Xu sent an email on Wednesday to its contract delivery drivers, called Dashers, announcing a series of surveys and roundtables where they can air grievances. (A Dasher shared a copy of the email with Fast Company.) Xu’s email also makes the optimistic claim that earnings averaged more than $17.50 an hour in 2018.
Last month, DoorDash told me that, based on its own worker surveys, 20% of Dashers are not fully satisfied with their work situation.
Some complaints the company may hear about this time are a lack of transparency in payments. For instance, Dashers don’t know the pre-selected tip until after the job. They may also question the $17.50 per hour pay (including tip) estimate. I’ve heard claims of lower pay, and gig workers are beginning to demand that these calculations account for their expenses, such as mileage.