This Week: Gig Workers Are Receiving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance

On this edition of This Week in Rideshare: States are making headway with the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program! Quite a few of them are paying benefits to gig workers, while others are accepting applications and creating their programs. The Department of Labor says that we should expect to see all programs implemented by May 2020. In addition, many States have started rolling out their plans to re-open. Is your state on the list?

I am happy to announce that several states are finally paying their gig workers. 17 states have implemented their pandemic assistance program and have started paying benefits to folks as well. That would be Alabama, Colorado, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. Right behind them we have North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Vermont, Washington, Massachusetts, Georgia, Maryland and North Carolina as states that are accepting applications. South Carolina is also accepting applications today and New Mexico will begin tomorrow. Some states like California will start accepting applications on the 28th and others like Ohio won’t be ready until mid-May. We will keep you abreast on those states.

On another note, and I would add this as an extreme note, several states have re-opened in some way or capacity. Call it a slow rollout, whatever jargon your governor’s using. That means that you should start to see more rideshare requests and quite possibly a decline in the spike of food and grocery deliveries over time. Now, the following states have re-opened or have plans in place to do a slow rollout, that would include Alaska with a few of their businesses and restaurants, California, but only for people who are getting surgery. Colorado will resume curbside delivery, elective medical procedures. Florida, as you all know, has re-opened their beaches, but they are still awaiting recommendations from their task force. The Georgia re-opened some of that businesses yesterday and those businesses include gyms, fitness centers, bowling alleys, tattoo parlors, hair and nail salons, estheticians, massage therapy, all of those spoils. Kentucky relaxed some of their restrictions, starting with diagnostic radiology, non-urgent appointments and ambulance visits. Michigan relaxed some of their restrictions so some of their business can re-open and the public can participate in more outdoor activities like golf and voting.

Minnesota’s governor will allow some businesses to open beginning April 27th. This is largely so that they can allow 80,000 to 100,000 people return back to their industrial industries and both can go back to work. Montana’s retail businesses will be opening or operational at least, as long as they adhere to the requirements laid out for them. That will include limited capacity, social distancing and things like that. North Carolina will be opening in a three-phase situation after May 8th. I think that’s still contingent upon downward grin. In Oklahoma yesterday, they opened some personal care businesses. 27th they’re going to be opening restaurants and dining rooms and movie theaters, sporting venues and gyms. As long as they maintain social distancing in these places and sanitation, I should say, protocols for every single business that I listed.

Now, Pennsylvania’s governor wants to re-open the state in three phases as well. You’ll probably see that across the board beginning May 8th. South Carolina opened some things on the 20th, those were retail stores, which included selling furniture, books, music and flowers, clothing and accessories and flea markets. Beaches are also allowed to re-open in public access beginning April 21st, though each local government has the authority to close those areas. Tennessee’s governor wants restaurants to be open this coming Monday and retail outlets next Wednesday. Vermont opened some businesses like construction, home appraisers, property management. Municipal clerks to return to work on May 1st. Farmers markets will be able to operate there as well as long as they adhere to the social distancing guidelines. Wisconsin opened their public libraries and arts and craft stores were open and for places that offer food as long as they implement a curbside pickup.

And now for my favorite segment, that is What Would You Do? Okay. Now, it’s not as sexy as the other ones that I’ve done, but I think that this is very common. I’m seeing a lot of people complain about it. I’ll read it as fast as I can. “Got deactivated from Instacart because a guy called and said I didn’t deliver when I handed it over directly to him and verified the numbers on the house. The dude lied, submitted a dispute. Why can’t they just check the GPS on the app? I guess on some other deliveries that were larger the items got switched around or something, but I’m no thief. To the man that got free groceries today, karma will find you.” That was a threat.

So, this is not the first note that I read of people who have been deactivated from Instacart for this reason. Obviously there’s a ton of people that are looking to scam the system. They know that all they have to do is say that you didn’t deliver the item and that they’ll get their money back or they’ll get another delivery. On the flip, there are a ton of drivers who I know for a fact have pulled up to an area and sat in the car and didn’t follow the delivery instructions, didn’t call anybody, didn’t text anybody and drove off with the food because they wanted to keep it. You know who you are. If keeping your job right now is imperative and something that you need to do, then you need to over-document. Don’t do just what the app is telling you to do. I would take a picture. I would record an interaction. I would do that every single time. Will that slow you down? Yes, but it will thwart the potential for anyone to lie on you, especially if you really need this job.

Instacart, from what I hear, I don’t do it but from what I hear, are not very diplomatic when it comes to deactivating people, especially right now while they’ve got so many people needing work. So don’t expect that they’re going to listen to you because you matter to them so much. I think cover your you-know-what by over-documenting. So, in that case, what would you do in this instance? I’m waiting. If you liked this video, give me a thumbs up. If you aren’t subscribed to The Rideshare Guy, please do so now. I’ll wait for you. Okay, and if you like what you’re hearing, then check me out every single Saturday. I’m here on this channel early morning so my video is waiting, waiting for you. You also can visit me on my own channel, that’s Drive Girl Drive on YouTube and on Facebook as well. Take it easy. Stay safe, keep kicking you-know-what.