Yesterday it was reported that DoorDash is adding “safety features” to “help protect drivers”. The reporting mentions, in passing, the assault and murder of DoorDash workers who remain unnamed.
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Gig Workers Rising On DoorDash's New Safety Features
“DoorDash is boasting its “safety features” to “protect drivers”. But when DoorDash workers are assaulted and killed on the job anyways, DoorDash abandons workers and their families. DoorDash leaves them with no financial support.
- 43-year-old Petra Rhoden was a mother delivering food for DoorDash in Paterson, New Jersey. Her brother, Rick, said that music was Petra's life passion. After completing a delivery one night in October 2019, Petra was shot. Her car crashed, and she died.
- DoorDash responded, "We are deeply saddened by the loss of Petra Rhoden, a Paterson-area Dasher, and our thoughts are with her family, friends and loved ones. We have reached out to her family to offer our full support to them during this difficult time."
- 56-year-old Yusuf Ozgur was an immigrant from Turkey. A father of two, Yusuf delivered for DoorDash at night to make extra money for his family. The day after Christmas in 2019, he was picking up a delivery at a local Denny's when he was shot. He later died.
- DoorDash responded, "We are deeply saddened by the loss of Yusuf Ozgur, a Manassas-area Dasher. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and loved ones... We are reaching out to his family to offer our full support during this difficult time."
- This April, Francisco Villalva Vitinio was shot & killed. Francisco's cousin says Francisco was delivering for DoorDash when he was killed. Francisco's family has screenshots of notifications from DoorDash as proof. DoorDash denies it.
- DoorDash still responded, "We are deeply saddened by the loss of Mr. Vitinio. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and loved ones. We have reached out to Mr. Vitinio’s family to offer our support."
- In August, father of four and immigrant from Nigeria Noel Njoku was killed on a DoorDash job.
- DoorDash responded, "We are deeply saddened. Our hearts go out to the Dasher's loved ones. We are actively working to get in touch with this Dasher’s family to extend our full support.”
After their workers are murdered on the job, it appears that DoorDash's PR team copy and pastes template press statements about how "saddened" they are, merely swapping out the name of the most recently murdered worker. In that statement, the company says it will support the worker's family.
We have yet to hear from any murdered DoorDash worker's family that has received any financial support from DoorDash.
A Message For DoorDash
Workers who deliver for you deserve far more than a template message when they are murdered while making money for you. Their families deserve far more support than your empty words. Your "safety features" mean nothing until they actually keep workers safe. Your "hearts going out to loved ones" of murdered workers mean nothing to those who are grieving with no financial support. Workers deserve and demand better.” -- attributable to a Gig Workers Rising spokesperson
