Walmart Inc., known for its Spark Delivery service, has settled with the Seattle Office of Labor Standards (OLS) for allegedly shortchanging its gig and app-based workers on paid sick and safe time rights, shelling out over $170,000 to affected employees. The investigation by OLS accused Walmart of neglecting to establish a system for workers to accrue and take paid sick leave, and failing to keep its workforce informed about their entitlements under the Gig Worker and App-Based Worker Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinances, as reported by a Seattle government announcement.

Steven Marchese, the Director of OLS, emphasized that compliance with these ordinances is not optional, it ensures that gig and app-based workers can exercise their rights which in turn reinforces the broader regulatory framework intended to protect workers, according to the same announcement; the settlement, totaling $170,768.15, will be distributed among 474 workers, with an additional $18,692.64 paid to the City of Seattle for the ordinance breaches that spanned failure to give proper pay, policy provisioning and balance notification.

Walmart Inc., a massive national food delivery network, employs thousands of gig workers to facilitate deliveries from Walmart stores to customers across the US. The Seattle ordinances were initially put into place amid the pandemic to offer essential protections to gig workers, and recent updates have transitioned some of these temporary measures into permanent laws, with the App-Based Worker Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance now covering former Gig Worker PSST Ordinance workers.

Gig workers and hiring entities are encouraged to engage with the OLS for compliance assistance or to make inquiries. They can file a complaint or request via the office's portal which includes forms designed to facilitate the process for workers to assert their rights and for companies to align themselves with the legal requirements.