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.
As Cord Meyer Development Company celebrates its 12oth anniversary, its impact on Queens cannot be overstated. Built on decades of accomplishment, the company remains firmly focused on the future, here in Bayside and beyond.
The number of rapes throughout Queens remained up during the 28-day period from Feb. 23 to Mar. 24, compared to the same time period last year, according to the latest crime stats released by the NYPD Monday. In northern Queens, robberies had a large increase, while grand larcenies declined sharply.
Episcopal Health Services (EHS) successfully hosted an educational event in honor of World Kidney Day at their Clinical Learning Center in Far Rockaway on Mar. 19, drawing attention to kidney health and chronic kidney disease.
Hundreds of airport service workers braved the cold on Thursday and rallied outside JFK’s Terminal 8 as 32BJ SEIU launched New York’s “First and Last” campaign to demand improved wages and fair labor standards from private sector employers.
Joined by 32BJ SEIU Executive Vice President and Political Director Candis Tall, airport workers demanded paid time off, employer-paid healthcare, and higher wages for more than 40,000 airport workers at JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark airports, the busiest aviation hub in the country.
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