One hundred and twenty un-unionized Amazon delivery drivers in Saskatoon went on a wildcat strike on May 8.
While the drivers make deliveries for Amazon, Amazon works through delivery contractor Dragonfly, which treats drivers themselves as independent contractors in turn. This kind of arrangement is typical of the gig economy, and means that companies like Dragonfly aren’t obligated to provide their workers with any of the rights or benefits that employees are entitled to by law.
As one driver said, “Whenever we raise our voice, they just say, ‘You don’t work for us.’”
And drivers have plenty to raise their voices about. Dragonfly has been decreasing drivers’ per-package rate and increasing their workload since the fall. Drivers use their own vehicle, and pay for their own fuel, insurance, maintenance and repairs, with the result that their take-home pay is sometimes less than minimum wage. In the event of injuries, breakdowns, or difficult conditions, Dragonfly offers no support to its workers.
The growth of the gig economy, with companies like Uber and other delivery apps, has been a roundabout way of undermining working-class conditions. It has led to the emergence of a vulnerable and hyper-exploited segment of the working class. This strike is significant because it is likely one of the first, if not the first, strike by this segment of workers in Canada. It demonstrates that even the most vulnerable workers can be driven to take action in response to attacks by the bosses.
Now the delivery drivers have reached out to United Food and Commercial Workers, the same union that recently negotiated a contract for Uber drivers in Victoria. The labour movement must seize on this opportunity to organize these vulnerable workers and spread the struggle to all gig workers.
