At Least 50 US Gig Workers Killed On the Job Since 2017: Study

A  study from the advocacy organization Gig Workers Rising reports that at least 50 US gig workers for firms such as Lyft, Uber and Postmates have been fatally assaulted on the job since 2017, with six occurring in the first two months of 2022, reports The Guardian.

An estimated 63 percent of those killed were workers of color, despite comprising less than 39 percent of the overall U.S. workforce.

A recent Pew Research Center report showed gig workers of color are more likely than those who are white to say they have at least sometimes felt unsafe or been sexually harassed on the job.

An exacerbating factor to relief is the business model of gig economy companies, which have for years battled to classify workers as independent contractors rather than employees entitled to compensation.

Workers and officials have called on companies to do more, with Gig Workers Rising setting out a number of demands, including calling for workers’ compensation for injuries and deaths that occur on the job and the right of workers to unionize.

The group also called for the end of forced arbitration, which requires workers to settle these matters out of court and away from public scrutiny, and for companies to increase transparency about how many injuries and deaths occur yearly.