More Than 16,000 Workers Impacted
For Immediate Release
Contact Information
Cynthia Santana
Phone: 206-256-5219
Email: cynthia.santana@seattle.gov
Seattle Office of Labor Standards Reaches Historic $15,000,000 Settlement with Portier, LLC dba Uber Eats for Alleged Violations of Independent Contractor Protections and App-Based Worker Minimum Payment Ordinances
More Than 16,000 Workers Impacted
Seattle, WA – (August 26, 2025)- The Office of Labor Standards (OLS) announces its unprecedented settlement with Portier, LLC dba Uber Eats for alleged violations of the Independent Contractor Protections (ICP) and App-Based Worker Minimum Payment (ABWMP) Ordinances.
Under the agreement, Uber Eats will pay $15,025,521.75 ($14,991,841.49 for back pay, interest, liquidated damages and civil penalties) to 16,120 affected workers and $33,680.26 in fines to the City of Seattle. Payment is scheduled to reach workers by Labor Day, September 1, 2025.
“This historic $15 million settlement is a major win for workers and a strong reminder that in Seattle, we hold large companies accountable when they sidestep their responsibilities and shortchange workers,” said Mayor Bruce Harrell. “We are proud of our nation-leading policies that protect and uplift app-based workers, recognizing that they are a critical part of our local economy and deserve to be treated with fairness, dignity, and respect. I was proud to support legislation that created an independent Office of Labor Standards almost a decade ago, recognizing that education and enforcement will create healthier workplaces and more empowered workers. Fair pay, transparency, and strong worker protections are essential for building an equitable, affordable Seattle for everyone, and we will continue to stand up for the working people who power our city.”
“As the largest settlement in OLS history, this sets a new benchmark and represents a significant milestone for the protection of worker rights in Seattle in the rapidly growing industry of app-based work,” said OLS Director Steven Marchese. “It’s only fair that companies inform workers of their pay before work begins and honor those commitments. If companies are unclear or fail to keep promises, workers in Seattle should know their rights and available recourse with OLS. When workers come forward, OLS can help bring workplace injustices to light and put hard-earned money back where it belongs… in their pockets.”
- OLS opened an investigation into Uber Eats on November 6, 2023, alleging violations under the ICP Ordinance.
- OLS opened a second investigation into Uber Eats on November 15, 2024, alleging violations of the ABWMP Ordinance.
- OLS reached a global settlement agreement with Uber Eats on July 18, 2025, to resolve allegations under both ordinances.
ICP Investigation
This settlement was the result of OLS’ first-ever investigation under the ICP Ordinance that took effect on September 1, 2022. Under the law, to ensure pay transparency, companies must notify workers how much a job pays, including how earnings are calculated, before work begins and at the time of payment. The law also creates rights for workers to enforce a company’s promises about pay.
The ICP investigation stemmed from a complaint by a worker with Uber Eats’ Boost promotion. Like surge pricing for consumers, Uber Eats advertised to workers during busy times and in busy locations “Boost earnings multipliers,” which it said, “offer added earnings on top of delivery fares,” and allowed workers “to multiply your base fare” by a specified number shown on a map.
OLS took the position that the company broke its promises to workers by:
- Not disclosing to workers that the Boost multiplier applied only to a portion of the worker’s fare; and
- Not disclosing on the offer card that the single dollar amount shown already included contributions from the Boost promotion.
“I hope the outcome of this settlement can serve as a reminder that there are institutions whose reason for being is to protect the public, and that individuals should always feel empowered to take action when they feel taken advantage of,” said Lukas Kucinski, the worker who brought the complaint to OLS. “The numbers weren’t making sense. Instead of accepting them and moving on, I tried to make the math work. When it didn’t, I took action. Little did I know that it would amount to something like this.”
In addition to complaints related to Uber Eats’ Boost promotion, OLS also investigated complaints from workers that they at times received less than the amount shown on Uber Eats’ pre-work offer cards.
Specifically, OLS alleged that:
- The payment to workers of less than the pre-work offer amount violated requirements in the Ordinance to pay the agreed upon compensation and to disclose the rate of pay before work begins.
Finally, OLS alleged that Uber Eats violated the law by failing to provide thousands of workers with a required notice of rights about the ICP Ordinance.
Uber Eats denied the allegations but agreed to resolve all ICP claims for a total of $13,559,434.41.
Of the total settlement amount, more than $13 million relates to OLS’ allegations about the Boost promotion. Uber Eats ended its Boost program in Seattle on August 28, 2023, soon after OLS contacted the company.
ABWMP Investigation
This settlement was the result of OLS’ second-ever investigation under the ABWMP Ordinance, which took effect on January 13, 2024, and ensures app-based workers receive a minimum payment based on the time worked and the miles traveled for each offer, including when a job is “cancelled with cause”.
OLS began investigating Uber Eats after receiving complaints from workers in 2024 who alleged they were not paid or were underpaid for jobs that were cancelled for cause. After OLS contacted Uber Eats, the company issued a series of payment adjustments totaling $167,313.27 to 5,920 workers.
In addition to the allegation of non-payment for cancelled orders, OLS also alleged that the company failed to:
- Provide electronic receipts for each unique offer cancelled by the network company or its customer, or cancelled by a worker with cause, as required by the ordinance; and
- Provide weekly statements that included the mandatory information for cancelled offers, as required by the ordinance.
Uber Eats denied the allegations but agreed to resolve all ABWMP claims for a total of $1,466,087.34.
As part of the settlement to resolve ABWMP claims, Uber Eats agreed to implement a written Cancellation with Cause policy and to communicate to workers where to find the policy via a monthly email.
“I was glad to have played my part in documenting and reporting the cancelled order complaint and am grateful to OLS for seeing it through on behalf of the affected workers. Goes to show it pays for workers to learn their rights and report problems to someone who can do something about them. I hope this settlement helps send a message to companies that they will be held accountable to the communities in which they choose to do business,” said David Lilley, a worker who filed a complaint.
“Seattle is one of the few markets where app-based delivery workers have enforceable rights, and OLS has shown they’re willing to act on them, even against a very large company. This work can be isolating, but OLS gave me a real sense of support. I didn’t expect much to come from my complaint, but I was fed up and felt I had to do something. They responded quickly, let me know they were already looking into it, and that others had raised similar concerns. If something feels off, document it and speak up,” said one impacted worker.
“When workers don’t get paid what they were promised for delivering food by Uber Eats, it means they can’t put food on their own tables. I applaud OLS for helping make sure working people get what they are owed, and that no company, no matter how big or small, can exploit people with impunity,” said District 8 King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda.
“This is exactly the kind of systematic underpayment of gig workers that these two ordinances were designed to protect against, and I’m glad the OLS process can help workers be made whole. The combination of good legislation and workers organizing and fighting for what’s right is our only chance at fairness in a rigged system,” said President of Drivers Union Peter Kuel.
“This settlement represents exactly the kind of change in policy that the Independent Contractor Protections Ordinance was meant to prompt”, said Elizabeth Ford, who chaired the Labor Standards Advisory Commission when the Commission recommended City Council enact the ICP Ordinance. “This settlement should encourage other companies to make sure all their workers have the basic information about their terms of engagement.”
For more information and resources about the Independent Contractor Protections Ordinance please click here. For more information and resources about the App-Based Worker Minimum Payment Ordinance and other app-based worker laws, please click here to visit the OLS App-Based Worker Ordinances webpage.
- 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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