Supporters rally for Delivery Protection Act as outside opposition grows
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani rallied in favor of the controversial Delivery Protection Act outside City Hall on Thursday. Photo by Gerardo Romo / NYC Council Media Unit
By Ryan Schwach
Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined legislators and union members on Thursday to call for the passage of the Delivery Protection Act, which would regulate Amazon’s use of third-party delivery drivers.
The bill has overwhelming support in the Council and will likely pass later this year. However, the legislation has also faced growing opposition from business groups around the city who worry it will increase their costs and eliminate jobs.
Though a number of companies use third-party drivers, Amazon is the most prominent among them. The massive online retailer operates multiple warehouses in Queens where the drivers have unionized and called for the protections the bill would bring.
On Thursday, Council Speaker Julie Menin called the DPA – led by Queens Councilmember Tiffany Cabán – a “very important bill,” adding that the final language of the bill is currently being finalized by lawmakers and the city’s Law Department.
“We need to protect these workers,” she said.
Cabán’s office confirmed the speaker’s statements.
“For too long, companies like Amazon have gotten away with subcontracting away any accountability as they put workers and our communities in danger, all so executives can make a quick buck,” the progressive western Queens lawmaker said outside City Hall on Thursday. “That ends now. We’re going to pass the Delivery Protection Act to make sure that workers’ rights are respected and that our streets and neighborhoods are safe.”
Mamdani first announced his support of the bill in August and on Thursday hit Amazon for building “a system that lets bosses avoid that responsibility.”
Amazon has maintained a staunch objection to the bill, and several other organizations, including the National Urban League and the Trucking Association of New York, have also come out against it.
Some local companies said the bill would lead to the shutdown of the third-party companies currently hired by Amazon.
“Protecting workers should start with listening to workers,” said Heaven Sanchez, a delivery worker at Bronx-based Logistics Xpress. “My company invests in us, trains us, and gives us opportunities to grow. I don’t want to work for Amazon, and I don’t understand how taking away our jobs and making Amazon even bigger is supposed to protect workers like me.”
During her remarks ahead of Thursday’s stated meeting, Menin said she wants to hear out the businesses’ concerns about the bill.
“We also are focused on rising consumer costs, so we want to see if there's a way to somehow address that as well,” she said. “We don't want a situation where suddenly then Amazon tries to jack up those costs. So those are issues that we're working through, and you know we're continuing to have those conversations.”
