If you drive in Seattle, you have deactivation rights
Most gig workers have almost no due process when an app deactivates them. Washington is the exception, and the protection comes in two layers: a Seattle ordinance for delivery and marketplace apps, and a statewide system for Uber and Lyft drivers.
Delivery apps: the Seattle ordinance
The App-Based Worker Deactivation Rights Ordinance (SMC 8.40, effective January 1, 2025, upheld by the Ninth Circuit in 2026) gives app-based delivery and marketplace workers in Seattle enforceable rights the platforms don't advertise.
- Advance notice: about 14 days before most deactivations, with the reason in writing.
- The records the company used to justify the deactivation, on request.
- A fair investigation and an internal challenge you can file within 90 days.
- Reinstatement plus back pay if the company can't justify the deactivation.
- A private right of action: you can sue after the company's initial response, or 14 days after you file your challenge.
It applies to delivery and marketplace companies with 250+ workers (DoorDash, Instacart, Amazon Flex, and Walmart Spark all qualify) and covers you if a meaningful share of your work was in Seattle or the incident happened there. The ordinance also bars deactivating you solely over overall customer ratings or a background check, unless the conduct was extreme.
Uber and Lyft: your protection is statewide, not city
Rideshare is the one thing the Seattle ordinance does not cover. Seattle's older rideshare deactivation ordinance ended when Washington's statewide law took over at the start of 2023. What Uber and Lyft drivers have now is the state-funded Driver Resource Center, run by Drivers Union: free help and representation on deactivation appeals for drivers anywhere in Washington, including cases built on false passenger complaints. Contact Drivers Union (driversunionwa.org) as soon as you're deactivated, and still send the platform your own appeal with your evidence.
How to use it
Delivery workers: file the company challenge within the 90-day window, and file a complaint with Seattle's Office of Labor Standards (olsconnect.powerappsportals.us/deactivation, laborstandards@seattle.gov, 206-256-5297). Rideshare drivers: contact Drivers Union. Either way, Reinstara writes the platform appeal; these rights are the leverage behind it. If you're pursuing the private right of action, that's the point to talk to an attorney.
Information, not legal advice. Reinstara helps you write your appeal and can note your Washington rights in it; it is not your legal representative in a challenge or lawsuit.
FAQ
Does the Seattle ordinance cover DoorDash, Uber, and Instacart?
It covers delivery and marketplace apps with 250 or more workers: DoorDash, Instacart, Amazon Flex, and Walmart Spark all qualify. Uber and Lyft rides are not covered by the city ordinance. Rideshare drivers are covered statewide instead, with free appeal help from the state-funded Driver Resource Center, run by Drivers Union.
How long do I have to challenge a deactivation in Seattle?
Covered delivery workers have up to 90 days from the deactivation notice to file the company's internal challenge, and can sue after the company's initial response or 14 days after filing.
Can they deactivate me just for a low rating in Seattle?
For covered delivery apps, the ordinance bars deactivation over overall customer ratings alone or a background check alone, unless the conduct was extreme. That's a strong point to raise in a Seattle appeal. The city rule doesn't apply to Uber or Lyft rides; rideshare drivers should ask the Driver Resource Center for help instead.