Food Delivery Workers Shaping the Future of Work

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The outbreak of Covid-19 has rapidly increased the precariousness of gig workers around the world, especially that of food and grocery delivery workers. At the same time, these workers have become more visible, recognized, and even applauded for their key role during the pandemic, being classified as “essential workers.” While much of the world population spent numerous months in lockdown, food delivery workers continue to provide crucial services to communities through their delivery of food, medicine, and other important supplies all the while exposing themselves to a severe, life-threatening, and highly contagious virus. While the worldwide development of several vaccines seeks to curb the impact of the coronavirus in important ways, vaccine rollout has been unsystematic and slow, leaving many food delivery workers without protection. Drawing on 39 semi-structured interviews and five months of participant observation, this report explores the experience of food delivery workers in Mexico, their response to Covid-19, and their broader transnational organizing efforts.