When Foodora bike courier Hunter Sanassian limped into the online delivery giant’s downtown office, bleeding and in shock after being smashed by a car door, he was hoping staff could offer a little help. Instead, he says he ended up retrieving his own first aid kit and bandaging himself.

As a courier, he is one of a legion of independent contractors who are navigating not just Toronto’s oft-treacherous streets, but the realities of its changing economy — seemingly alone.

“I would like to be viewed, if not treated, as a professional — and not be in this position where the job is precarious work without protections,” said the 30-year-old environmental studies graduate.

That’s the sentiment behind an uphill — but possibly precedent-setting battle — to bring Foodora bike couriers into the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.

It’s new and challenging terrain for labour: since most platforms in the sector classify workers as independent contractors, they are largely excluded from employment laws that provide basic protections and the ability to form a union.

But advocates are increasingly contesting that classification, arguing that many gig economy apps direct and control significant portions of workers’ jobs. That, CUPW national president Mike Palecek argues, means they should have the same legal responsibilities as any other employer.

“As technology develops, bosses and corporations are trying to use that technology to increase exploitation of their workforces. And the gig economy certainly stands out in that regard.”

CUPW estimates there are up to 550 Foodora couriers in Ontario; but to organize them, the union will have to convince the provincial labour board that they are employees of the food delivery app. If the union is successful, the ruling could set a significant precedent for other gig economy workers.

In a statement to the Star, Foodora spokesperson Sadie Weinstein said the company took over a business in 2015 that was “100 per cent independent contractors” and that the model “provides more flexibility for both the courier and employer.”

“Because our riders are independent contractors, they can dictate when they work and for how long. For convenience and flexibility, riders can sign up for hours that work best for them.”

For Sanassian, who has worked as a courier since 2016, the new CUPW campaign launching Wednesday is a necessary part of improving workers’ security — as well as educating app users.

For example, he says he’s “disappointed” in Foodora’s approach to rider safety. He says there’s little training available, even as couriers are under significant and sometimes unsafe pressure to hustle.

“There’s no month that goes by that I haven’t had to deal with some kind of injury,” he said.

“I went to the hospital last month for one of our cyclists who got hit. We are watching this video of her talking to dispatch — she was smart, she recorded everything — and on the phone the first question was, can you make the delivery?”

Following questions from the Star about the incident, Weinstein said Foodora’s dispatch team logged accidents and asked questions to determine the severity of the situation including whether transit to hospital was needed.

“Due to the sensitivity of situations like this, we are going to take steps to reassess our injury reporting system and reword questions asked to riders that can be misinterpreted as indifferent to the situation at hand,” she said.

Asked about overall safety protocol, Weinstein said all riders are “screened to ensure a base level of competency and experience cycling in the city, and a comfort with the variable weather conditions that may affect them during deliveries.”

“Every Foodora rider attends an in-person or online orientation session, where our team reviews everything they’ll need to know how to efficiently and safely complete orders. We encourage Foodora riders to follow the rules of the road, and for those on bikes to wear a helmet at all times.”

She said while head office staff were not equipped to provide first aid to injured couriers, the company emphasized “safety and superior customer service as tenets of our brand.”

Unlike some of its competitors, Foodora does provide workers’ compensation coverage. But because couriers’ income is so variable, Sanassian says even when injury claims are approved, the money paid out for lost earnings is often tiny.

Foodora told the Star that of its 3,000 couriers across Canada, half made an average of $21 an hour including tips delivering restaurant orders to people’s homes and offices. Sanassian said fluctuating hours and the physical nature of the work, even for a fit and experienced rider, made it difficult to work more than 30 hours weekly. He said the weekly maximum he makes in peak season is $600. In the summer, when orders are slower, he juggles other jobs to make ends meet.

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Even at 30 hours a week all year, those rates would earn an average courier less than $33,000 annually.

“Realistically it’s an expensive city,” Sanassian, who lives in Toronto, said. “I don’t always see myself making ends meet. I have anxiety sometimes about that, but I make it work.”

“I’m one of those lucky few that don’t have a family to support,” he added.

Sanassian said he receives a $4.50 base per order, plus $1 for each kilometre from restaurant to drop off. The rest of his earnings are made up of customer tips. Riders are not paid for their mileage to get to the restaurant, which he says means many of his hours on the job go uncompensated.

“It creates a massive disparity in how hard they’re working and how fairly they’re being compensated,” said Liisa Schofield, an organizer with CUPW helping with the courier campaign.

One of the biggest challenges will be figuring out who those couriers are.

“There’s no central work site so it’s difficult to find everybody and talk to everybody,” she said. “You can’t just walk up to the warehouse gate or factory gate and hand out some flyers.”

“The company controls pretty much every aspect of their work so it seems pretty ridiculous to me that they would be independent contractors,” said Schofield.

“We are being exploited in the way (the job) is designed,” added Sanassian. “We’re so alone. We don’t know what others are going through. We don’t see anybody at the end of our shift.”

“The biggest issue here is we are in a new economic ecosystem. It’s one where our demands and services are required at a click of an app,” added Sanassian.

“I am a professional at my job and in this ecosystem, there’s only going to be more of us out there doing this job. The simple truth is my job is not going anywhere.”

Sanassian says he loves the work, and hopes the campaign will help change public perception about its value.

“We are capable of shining a light on the exploitation,” he said. “We are capable of bargaining better conditions. We are more capable of being more human about the realities of the job.”