Press Release

For Immediate Release

Contact Information
Cynthia Santana
Phone: 206-256-5219
Email: cynthia.santana@seattle.gov

Nearly $4.4 Million Returned to Over 14,000 Workers for Uber Eats Violations of the Minimum Payment Ordinance | Seattle Office of Labor Standards

The Office’s Second Largest Settlement

Seattle, WA – (August 18, 2026) Mayor Katie B. Wilson announced the Office of Labor Standards’ (OLS) second largest settlement with Portier, LLC dba Uber Eats (Uber Eats) for alleged violations of the App-Based Worker Minimum Payment Ordinance. Uber Eats agreed to settle the claims for a total of $4,386,682.28 in back pay, interest, liquidated damages, and civil penalties to 14,421 affected workers and $5,982.90 in fines to the City of Seattle.

Under the ordinance, OLS alleged Uber Eats failed to consistently provide minimum payments for cancelled orders when required, including when workers went to a pick-up location and reported to Uber Eats that an order needed to be cancelled for cause.

OLS also claimed that in some instances Uber Eats did not provide workers with the required minimum payments for the time they worked.

“Seattle works hard to protect workers' rights, and this multi-million-dollar settlement shows the impact," said Mayor Katie B. Wilson. "By enforcing workplace rights, including in the rapidly growing industry of app-based work, we hold large companies accountable. This is a win for the workers who are a critical part of our local economy and for Seattle as an equitable city for everyone who works, lives, and visits here.”

“Last summer, OLS resolved an investigation into Uber Eats that required the company to pay over $1.4 million to more than 4,000 workers for alleged violations of the App-Based Worker Minimum Payment Ordinance. After the settlement, workers continued to contact our office alleging the company was still violating the ordinance. Upon further investigation, OLS found additional violations,” said OLS Director Steven Marchese. “The law is clear - Uber Eats should have paid workers the money it owed them because of cancelled orders, as well as when some of the work occurred inside Seattle. This settlement is about fairness and accountability. We want to send a clear message to all network companies operating in Seattle, including Uber Eats, that we will enforce the law to ensure workers receive every dollar they’ve earned.”

"Uber Eats has violated Seattle’s labor laws time and time again. This settlement is an enormous victory for workers who will recover millions in earned wages and a reminder that corporations cannot be relied on to regulate themselves. By having the strongest industry labor standards in the nation, Seattle continues to lead the way in making rights real for gig workers," said Executive Director Fair Work Center Danielle Alvarado.

OLS’s previous settlement with Uber Eats involved allegations under both this Ordinance and the Independent Contractor Protections (ICP) Ordinance. The previous settlement was the largest in OLS history for $15 million and involved more than 16,000 workers. Approximately 35,000 workers overall drive for Uber Eats in Seattle.

“Without the Office of Labor Standards’ enforcement efforts, many drivers, including me, would have missed out on pay that was rightfully owed to us—pay the platform originally refused to provide, said app-based worker Max. “The App-Based Worker Minimum Payment law has helped me, and other drivers, earn fair pay while also helping customers receive their food and deliveries faster.”

“Gig work is neither easy nor is it very lucrative, but Seattle’s Minimum Payment Ordinance does have a profound effect on how Uber Eats (and similar) drivers operate. While I believe that there is more work to be done in the sector both locally and nationally, I fully appreciate the increased workers’ rights that OLS in Seattle has fought for and I wanted to make sure that those standards were upheld for the thousands of workers who operate daily in the Seattle area, myself included,” said app-based worker Reid Bixler.

• Help for app-based workers, independent contractors, and the public: to ask a question, file a complaint, or provide information, call 206-256-5297, email laborstandards@seattle.gov, or click here to fill out an online request form.
• Help for network companies: for free and private assistance for compliance with Seattle’s labor standards, call 206-256-5297, email laborstandards@seattle.gov or click here to fill out an online request form.

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