Delivery Workers Cheer Restroom Access and Tip Transparency Alongside AOC and Chuck Schumer
Gabriel Lopez, who has been making a living as a food delivery worker for over 18 months, braved the elements in Midtown, Jan. 21, 2022. Hiram Alejandro Durán/ THE CITY
Starting Sept. 24, New York City’s app-based food delivery workers are entitled to increased clarity on their daily earnings and tips, and the right to use most restaurant bathrooms, as new laws begin their rollout.
The Deliveristas celebrated the new protections Sunday afternoon with a rally in Times Square, flanked by allies including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-The Bronx/Queens) and Sen. Chuck Schumer, who has advocated for federal funds to create rest stops for the workers and other supports.
Also joining were city Comptroller Brad Lander and Councilmembers Carlina Rivera (D-Manhattan) and Justin Brannan (D-Brooklyn), among the lawmakers who introduced the Council bills.
The rally drew dozens of Deliveristas, many of whom hail from Indigenous communities from Mexico and Guatemala. Workers from Bangladesh and Mali also participated.
“We’re going to see big, big changes with these laws,” upper Manhattan delivery worker Manny Ramírez, 34, told THE CITY on Friday. “The discrepancy between what the client thinks we get paid and what the apps actually pay was immense — but now there is more awareness, and we felt like we’d won with that alone.”
“We feel like winners,” said Ernesta Galvez, 40, who works for the Relay app and is one of the few women among the Deliveristas. “It’s emotional to think about how far we’ve come.”
Ocasio-Cortez said in a phone interview on Sunday that the local gains for delivery workers send important signals nationally.
“What we’re seeing with the Deliveristas and the working class in New York, particularly tech workers, is such a strong counterpoint to what we’ve seen in California,” she said, noting that state’s ban on gig workers being recognized as full time employees.
Can’t wait till people won’t get tjeir delivery unless they tip the same price as the meal. I bet those bathrooms are real dirty now and some poor porter will have to clean after those delivery men.
Mayor Eric Adams signed two pieces of legislation this month that will provide self-defense training and body armor to Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and Paramedics in the FDNY.
The local grocery store Dumbo Market has signed a lease for approximately 13,500 square feet of space at Jasper, a $370 million mixed-use development in Long Island City.
This weekend, thousands of people all over the world will be celebrating Cinco de Mayo, a holiday commemorating Mexico’s victory over the French Empire in the battle of Puebla in 1862.
The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum in Long Island City recently announced that David Huang’s “Hands Toward the Universe” has triumphed in its third annual Open Call for Artist Banners.
The Chocolate Factory Theater, an experimental arts company in Long Island City, announced a jam-packed day of community engagement for its second annual Mother’s Day Block Party and Open House.
$4 tip per hour? How does that make sense. That’s 1-2 deliveries.
Can’t wait till people won’t get tjeir delivery unless they tip the same price as the meal. I bet those bathrooms are real dirty now and some poor porter will have to clean after those delivery men.