Wife Of Murdered DoorDash Driver Speaks Out After Another Delivery Driver Is Target Of Violence
STANISLAUS COUNTY (CBS13) - Gig workers hit the road not knowing what's in store.
Andrew Satavu, 56, never even made it home when he was shot and killed on a DoorDash delivery in Modesto. Now, only two weeks later and just miles away, an armed robber targeted an Amazon driver and took off with his packages in Riverbank.
"It honestly broke my heart when I heard this news because I thought of my husband," Katia Satavu told CBS13.
Andrew's wife Katia is speaking out and pushing for companies to protect and train their drivers on how to handle the violence.
"We both did the same type of work. We get trainings about how to purchase items for clients about so many other things. I never ever had a training about safety," said Katia, who added that she never had training on how to protect herself.
"We want more than thoughts and prayers right?" said Cherri Murphy, a social justice minister and lead organizer with Gig Workers Rising.
Murphy says at least 50 app-based workers have been killed on the job since 2017. She says corporations aren't transparent about those statistics as her organization has found that number by finding news articles and GoFundMe pages.
"We are demanding that these corporations be held accountable. That there should not be another death or another injury that happens with a worker on the job with them," Murphy told CBS13.
Katia is pushing for change so her husband didn't die in vain.
"I know my husband was a great man, was an honest hard working man and he didn't deserve to die this way," said Katia. "But if this is what it takes to start having these types of conversations, that is why I am here today speaking out and letting more people know to be more careful and to let the companies know they need to do something about it."