Instacart Inc. workers who chose to strike this week felt they had no choice: They say they’re fighting for the online grocery-delivery company to provide them with better safety protections and pay for risking their lives to handle customer orders during the novel coronavirus pandemic. But the workers’ decision to walk off the job is made more dangerous by the very legal reality that blocks their efforts to gain additional workplace protections and benefits in the first place.
The public health crisis has triggered a rise in demand for grocery-delivery services and given gig workers newfound leverage to press for ...