Postmates Unveils industry's First Emergency Familycare Relief Policy alongside new Telehealth, Career & Financial Planning Programs For Essential Delivery Workers

SAN FRANCISCO, April 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its ongoing response to the COVID-19 public health crisis, Postmates announced today expanded protections for on-demand workers, including the industry's first emergency familycare relief policy. This new program will help fleet members and their families cover the costs they are confronting daily as schools are shuttered, or as they need to stay home to take care of sick family members, through direct financial relief to ensure incomes are not lost. The announcement was also paired with a new fleet resource portal to give workers access to telemedicine, financial, and career planning tools amidst the crisis.

Today's announcement is the latest in a series of steps the company has taken to support its growing community of flexible workers, who have been deemed essential by Governors and Mayors around the country. In the past month alone, Postmates has seen an 84 percent national increase in new workers on its platform. On average, worker earnings are 180 percent above federal minimum wage at $24 in earnings per hour nationally, and in markets like Los Angeles and San Francisco, that number averages to nearly $30 per hour.

"Our ability to connect local restaurants and small businesses to customers, and customers to the food they need to feed their families, has become critical to keeping communities afloat and our fleet of Postmates are at the very core of this," said Bastian Lehmann, Co-founder and CEO of Postmates. "Every day we are exploring new and innovative ways to make it easier for them to earn a living during these challenging times. As parents, teachers, and neighbors look to our app to earn in this time of need, I am proud to be able to lead the industry in creating a program that offers families even more emergency financial support even while at home taking care of a loved one, paired with resources that focus on both physical and mental well being during this pandemic."

"Gig workers are essential in keeping communities safe and supported during coronavirus, and like all families they too are coping with the effects of the pandemic, including increased family and caregiving responsibilities. Postmates' new relief policy shows how creative initiatives from the private sector are a positive first step towards ensuring that all working people have the support they need in this time of crisis," said Annie Sartor, Director of Campaigns for Paid Leave for the U.S. 

In addition to higher average earnings and the new child and family care policy, Postmates also unveiled a brand new COVID Resource Portal with new mental health and safety programs, providing couriers access to 24/7 telemedicine, mental health, and career resources in order to continue investing in their long term physical and economic wellbeing during and after this public health challenge. These efforts build on the on-demand leader's early COVID actions including non-contact deliveries, as well as financial support for those with and without COVID symptoms.

• Familycare Relief Bonus Policy: Doubling down on its investments in fleet member protections during the COVID-19 crisis, Postmates will provide a cash relief stipend for workers in California and New York through a new program.
  
  Beginning Friday, April 24th, qualifying couriers can apply for a stipend through the Postmates Fleet Relief Fund portal. This further expands the Postmates Fleet Relief Fund which has provided emergency funds for fleet members to help cover the cost of medical expenses related to COVID-19, PPE, and medical expenses, while additionally offering income-replacements regardless of diagnosis. These funds will continue to be provided to workers in need, in addition to the new emergency family care bonus stipend for qualifying individuals.
• Health & Safety - Access to Mental & Physical Health Telehealth services: Postmates is also announcing new partnerships with telehealth platforms in order to connect couriers with additional health care services. Postmates is working with Ro, Doctors on Demand via Stride Health, and Nurx so that fleet members have access to three levels of health tools: (1) COVID-19 screening services to understand if you're at an elevated risk of COVID, in order to determine whether you need further care or if quarantining alone will suffice; (2) primary and mental health services to ensure that workers can connect with doctors for non-COVID symptoms and connect with mental health professionals to talk through tough times and (3) reproductive and family planning health services. Fleet members can connect with board-certified physicians on these platforms and access treatment and medication.
• Health & Safety - Reusable protective masks: To match the latest CDC guidance issued last week, and to further invest in the health of those looking to provide services on the platform during this time, Postmates is issuing hundreds of thousands of new reusable and single-use masks to couriers. Distribution has begun on west coast and east coast markets, and will continue to gradually scale across Postmates markets.
• Mid-COVID Financial Planning: Postmates also recently launched a partnership with Womply, a registered loan agent that is working with banks, financial institutions approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and the US Department of Labor to help Postmates merchant partners and gig workers unlock federal aid provided as part of the $2-trillion CARES Act. Even as the SBA funds will need new Congressional appropriations, through this partnership, Postmates merchants have streamlined access to forgivable emergency loans provided by the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and have already enabled hundreds of merchants to prepare for applications totalling nearly $10 million in PPP loans. This week Postmates will issue an education campaign to help workers navigate access to Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, as states work to operationalize the fund.
• Post-COVID Career Planning: We also know on the other side of this crisis Postmates will be swiftly seeking new career & earning opportunities. That's why we are scaling on-line digital platform edX to the Fleet. edX is an online learning destination, offering high-quality certificate courses from the world's best universities and institutions like Harvard, MIT, IBM and more. We are proud to partner with edX, as well as JVS San Francisco Bay Area, JVS SoCal and Career Transitions Center of Chicago to give Fleet access to virtual career advising and expert career guidance.

Through the Postmates COVID-19 Resource Portal, Postmates is also providing tools and resources for fleet members to stay updated on the latest tax and financial assistance available to them. The resource center includes information on how workers can file for unemployment in their state, ways to access financial support for their bills, and how they can benefit from tax credits if they have to miss work or take care of a loved one.

ABOUT POSTMATES

Postmates is a leader in on-demand food delivery and has seen more than 30,000 new businesses join the Postmates platform in the last few weeks, including 7,000 new drug stores — some of which are open 24/7 to provide health and wellness services for families in need.The platform gives customers access to the most selection of merchants in the US with more than 600,000 restaurants and retailers available for delivery and pickup, many of which are exclusive to Postmates. The market leader in Los Angeles and markets across the southwest, Postmates covers 80% of US households, across all 50 states. Customers can get free delivery on all merchants by joining Postmates Unlimited, the industry's first subscription service. Learn more or start a delivery by downloading the app or visiting www.postmates.com. For information on how Postmates is keeping customers, fleet and merchants safe during this time visit the COVID-19 resource page.

SOURCE Postmates

Related Links

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