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NYC grocery delivery workers rally at City Hall for more wages and flexible hours

group of people holding signs on building steps
The advocates called on the city council not to override Mayor Adams’ vetoes and pass new legislation establishing a minimum earnings standard of $21.44 per active hour while also requiring the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection to preserve the flexible work opportunities for grocery delivery workers.
Photo by New Yorkers for Affordable Groceries

A group of grocery delivery workers and supermarket reps rallied outside City Hall on Tuesday, urging the passage of new legislation supporting increased wages and flex schedules. 

The Sept. 9 event came a day before the NYC Council is set to vote on a potential override of Mayor Eric Adams’ vetoes of Int. 1133-A and Int. 1135-A, a pair of bills that would give delivery app workers more money and perks. Among the benefits from the bills is a proposed $21.44 an hour for the workers. 

The advocates urged Council Speaker Adrienne Adams not to override Mayor Adams’s vetoes and instead pass new legislation establishing a minimum earnings standard per active hour. However, the stipulation would be to do this while also requiring the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) to preserve the flexible work schedule that grocery delivery workers have come to depend on. 

According to advocates, city officials eliminated flexible work schedules when restaurant delivery workers were given an hourly pay increase, most recently in April

Representatives from the National Supermarket Association said grocery delivery workers depend on flexible hours to maintain a livelihood and support their families. 

“Instead of listening to these workers, the City Council is planning tomorrow to double down on a plan that would take opportunities away from them just as rising food prices are already limiting budgets for millions of New Yorkers including countless seniors, those who rely on SNAP [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits] to feed their families,” Nelson Eusebio, of the National Supermarket Association, said.

What do grocery delivery workers say?

Eli, a grocery delivery worker, said shift work would be a detriment to his livelihood and how he provides for his family.

“I depend on the flexibility of Instacart to be able to go to school and also provide for my daughter,” he said. “As a single parent, and anyone who has children, you know that you can’t plan for when your kids get sick. So when I had a 9 to 5 job, I ran the risk of losing my job because my daughter got sick and I couldn’t go into work.”

Eli said he used to work for DoorDash but was forced off the platform after city officials eliminated restaurant delivery workers’ flex schedules when they implemented a pay standard of $21.44 per hour. 

“The flexibility I depended on disappeared,” he said. 

Eusebio also said the bills will have “harmful impacts” on retailers and customers, including higher costs and prices.

Meanwhile, a NYC Council spokesperson said pay equity for grocery delivery workers has “no effect” on scheduling. 

“Minimum pay standards help ensure workers can advance a sustainable delivery sector in our city” the spokesperson said. “It is unfortunate that delivery app companies would spread false claims about the impact of these bills to misinform workers, instead of supporting fair pay.”

amNewYork contacted the DWCP for comment on this story and is awaiting a response.