Many Oregon gig workers got regular unemployment benefits. Here’s why it matters

Court documents and interviews show the Oregon Employment Department paid many gig workers traditional benefits from the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund. People who drove enough hours for Uber and Lyft received benefits normally reserved for laid-off employees, as did many drivers with income from Grubhub, Instacart and DoorDash. Some gig drivers ferrying groceries and packages for Amazon Flex got regular benefits too.The benefits went out, but payroll taxes hadn’t gone in.