How The Pandemic Turned An Introvert Into A Voice For Gig Workers
As the pandemic forced society to acknowledge just how essential low-wage gig workers are, Willy Solis, who delivers groceries for the app Shipt, seized the moment to advocate for better conditions.
Willy Solis never saw himself as an activist.
"I'm an introvert, extreme introvert," he said. "That's my nature."
But 2020 changed that — like so many other things.
The coronavirus pandemic drove many people to recognize gig work as "essential" for the first time, but the crisis also revealed the stark disparities between jobs that come with security and benefits and gig work, which does not.
And for thousands of gig workers, leading calls for better treatment and and protests over pay and safety concerns at Shipt, the grocery delivery app owned by Target. He also joined the Gig Workers Collective, a group pushing for better treatment of workers across apps, including Instacart and Lyft.
