Jul 14

Houston TX

Description

Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Gig Workers Collective (GWC) are conducting research on what it’s like to work in the app-based gig economy and what kind of issues arise for people who do. If you are an app-based gig worker in Houston, we would like to hear from you. Each group will be holding separate interviews in person in Houston on July 14, July 15 and July 16, 2021. -Why do we want to speak with you? We want to understand working conditions and income-related issues of app-based gig workers and hear from you about the challenges you face or possible solutions. -Who can participate? You should have worked at least six months for an app, more than 20 hours per week on average. Apps include: Instacart, Doordash, Uber Eats/Cornershop, Uber, Lyft, Favor, Grubhub, GoPuff, Amazon Flex and Spark. -How does this work? Once you reach out to us, we will send you a Calendly link with more information and to sign up for an interview slot. The total time for both interviews will be around 90 minutes. Neither HRW nor GWC pays for interviews. However, participants attending HRW interviews will receive a $20 visa gift card for expenses incurred, such as time and travel. Participants attending GWC interviews will receive a $25 visa gift card for time and travel. -Can you remain anonymous? Yes. Both HRW and GWC will keep your identity confidential. While the information you share with HRW may be published in an eventual public report, we can anonymize this information (e.g. linking your testimony to a pseudonym). The information you share with GWC is for internal GWC purposes only. For both interviews, you can choose what information you would like to share and stop the interview at any time. -What will the interviews cover? Interview topics include: your earnings and work-related expenses, reasons for working for an app, workplace safety, job security, how the pandemic has affected your work, experience claiming unemployment or other government assistance, organizing and collective bargaining, and how problems with the apps have affected your daily lives. -Is it Covid-19 safe? Interviews can be held in-person, outdoors, and while practicing social distancing. Interviewers will be masked at all times. The choice to be interviewed in-person is entirely at the discretion of the interviewee. These protocols are designed to minimize but cannot guarantee against transmission. -What is HRW and GWC? Human Rights Watch is an independent, international non-governmental organization that defends the rights of people worldwide. We scrupulously investigate abuses, expose the facts widely, and pressure those with power to respect rights and secure justice. More information can be found at hrw.org. Gig Workers’ Collective is a non-profit group that will bring the time, resources, and focus to the fight for fair pay and better treatment for all gig economy workers, from Instacart Shoppers to Lyft Drivers. More information can be found at gigworkerscollective.org.