Photo Courtesy of Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
“During the pandemic, New Yorkers came to see our delivery workers for what they truly are: essential employees,” said DOT Commissioner Hank Gutman
BY Forum Staff
Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday announced, in advance of legal workplace protections that go into effect in 2022, that he has marshaled agencies together to implement a series of additional efforts to support and improve the health, safety and working conditions for the city’s 65,000+ delivery workers.
Essential to NYC Campaign
This month, the City is launching a digital art campaign, #EssentialToNYC, reaffirming support for delivery workers and other essential workers, including bodega and grocery store workers, home care workers, nail salon technicians and all aestheticians, and taxi workers and all workers who transport New Yorkers. Featuring real New Yorkers of these professions, the campaign will highlight the importance of these workers in keeping the City running, connect New Yorkers to resources, and encourage New Yorkers to stand in solidarity against acts of discrimination, harassment, and violence that many essential workers continue to face.
Safety
In response to many issues brought forward by directly impacted workers, the City is providing: additional lighting and NYPD cameras at Willis Avenue Bridge bike paths; additional safety resources at bridge crossings into Manhattan; a bike etching program to recover stolen e-bikes; expansion of DOT’s traffic safety education and helmet giveaways for delivery workers.
Healthcare Access
NYC Care has launched a new initiative to actively working to enroll delivery workers who are un/underinsured. To enroll in NYC Care, New Yorkers can call 1-646-NYC-Care. For more information, visit nyccare.nyc.
Worker Protection
The City has provided Department of Consumer and Worker Protection with funding to implement and enforce the new laws regulating delivery apps and worker protections that go into effect in 2022. Starting January 24, many food delivery apps must be licensed by DCWP, bringing needed oversight to the industry. Apps will be able to begin applying for licenses later this month. Starting January 24, licensed apps must tell workers the tip for each delivery and the total pay and tips for the previous day.The law also seeks to provide increased access to bathrooms for workers of licensed apps.
Delivery workers who deliver food for any app—not just licensed apps—will also have additional new rights April 22, 2022 and January 1, 2023.
Starting April 22, 2022, apps must:
- Give workers a required notice explaining their new rights.
- Give workers more control over their deliveries. Workers can limit how far they will go from restaurants and refuse to use bridges or tunnels.
- Tell workers trip details before they accept a delivery. Must include address for pickup, estimated time and distance for trip, tip if known, pay.
- Pay workers at least once a week. Apps cannot charge a fee to process payment.
- Give workers a free insulated food delivery bag after give deliveries.
Starting Jan. 1, 2023, apps must pay workers the new minimum pay rate that the City will set. The rate will not include tips. DCWP is meeting with relevant stakeholders, including workers, for the wage structure study it will be conducting to determine the new minimum rate.
“During the pandemic, New Yorkers came to see our delivery workers for what they truly are: essential employees. We thank our colleagues at NYPD and DCWP for their excellent coordinated work to keep these workers safe, including brighter bridge crossings and more assistance for workers victimized by crime,” City Department of Transportation Commissioner Hank Gutman said.
