Thelife- On
TikTok , aDoorDash worker called for a DoorDash strike to protest an alleged base pay change. - A worker told Insider that strikers are "trying to send a message" to DoorDash about pay.
- DoorDash confirmed to Insider that it "recently made a change to base pay."
DoorDash workers are taking to TikTok and
News about the strike of the food-delivery gig-work company is spreading across several social media platforms, though some Dashers say they're hesitant to join in on the strike.
In the most popular TikTok about the strike, which has amassed 500,000 views and 120,000 likes, the user Denise Small, who goes by the handle @voicelikemine, alleged that DoorDash recently lowered its base pay from $3 to $2.
"They don't keep up the maintenance on our cars, they don't do anything, and then to lower the base pay?" she says in the TikTok, visibly distraught. "I've declined so many orders because they've been $2. Who the f--- is going out for $2?"
@voicelikemine LIVID!! DD does NOT care! Pissed to the highest level of pisstivity!! ##noddonJuly31 ##sickofit ##fyp ##viral
♬ original sound - Denise Small
"July 31, the majority of us Dashers will not deliver for DoorDash," she continues, adding that customers should boycott DoorDash on Saturday by using different
In a follow-up TikTok, Small, who did not respond to an interview request, shares a montage of screenshots from the DoorDash app showing delivery offers with a base pay of less than $3.
@voicelikemine ♬ Money - The Pink Floyd Story
DoorDash's website says that Dashers' base pay can range from $2 to $10 depending on several factors, including "estimated duration, distance, and desirability of the order."
A DoorDash spokeswoman confirmed to Insider that the company "recently made a change to base pay to help Dashers who are completing longer distance deliveries earn more for those higher effort trips," but did not specify the exact details of the adjustment.
"Previously, all trips were paid the same way, regardless of the distance. We heard that Dashers felt this wasn't fair when they were completing longer-distance deliveries," the spokeswoman added. "Total Dasher earnings in these areas will remain the same -- we are simply reinvesting the pay from shorter distance deliveries into those longer distance deliveries."
The spokeswoman added that the company is aware of the strike.
The strike appears to have begun on Reddit
The DoorDash boycott trend appears to have been sparked by a July 15 Reddit thread titled "DOORDASH BOYCOTT ON JULY 31ST ALL DAY."
In the post, the author, who did not respond to a request for comment, detailed a strategy for the boycott and outlined potential demands including higher base pay and tip transparency. He also suggested that all Dashers perform deliveries on UberEats instead of DoorDash on July 31.
Though the Reddit thread received over 500 upvotes and was one of the top posts of the day on the r/DoorDash subreddit, some Dashers doubted the boycott would actually take place.
"Yeah people will say they're participating but take all the orders," the user @neverleavingthewagon wrote in one of the most upvoted replies. "Always a double-edged sword."
Dashers want to strike to "send a message"
A DoorDash driver named Darren Wong, who delivers in Staten Island, New York, and posts on Twitter as @themasterdasher, told Insider that Dashers are striking to "send a message to DoorDash that they're not being paid enough and that they need to be paid more."
Wong shared DoorDash screenshots with Insider that show five separate orders offering a base pay of under $3.
Wong said he is not personally participating in the boycott because he already expected a slowdown in the summer.
Another Dasher, who was granted anonymity because of privacy concerns as a labor organizer, told Insider that DoorDash "dangles carrots in front of our faces through efforts like 'peak pay' and 'monthly bonuses' to get us to dash instead of paying us a fair wage."
The worker, who added that they are "disabled," will be participating in the strike. "Dashers want fair compensation for our time and efforts. We are what makes the company run but we're treated as disposable," they said.
DoorDash gig workers have organized in the past
This isn't the first time Dashers have used collective action. Vice reported that in early 2021, a large swath of Dashers united under the "#DeclineNow" movement to purposely reject low-paying orders on the platform. By declining all the lowball offers, the Dashers aimed to force the DoorDash algorithm to raise their base pay, or their wage before customers add tips.
According to a test done by a Dasher who spoke with Vice, workers who selectively declined orders made almost double the amount of money as people who accepted all orders.
DoorDash has previously faced backlash for allegedly concealing tip amounts, preventing drivers from seeing how much they will make from a delivery before accepting the offer. As Vice reported, many Dashers have begun to employ third-party "tip transparency" applications like Para, which sends users a text with the total amount, so they know how much they're getting from an order before agreeing to perform it.
To read more stories like this, check out Insider's digital-culture coverage here.