Part of the Food Policy Snapshot Series

Policy name: New York City food delivery workers’ rights 

Overview: The New York City Council has passed a set of bills that will improve pay and working conditions for third-party food delivery workers. 

Location: New York City, NY

Food policy category: Food services, social and economic equity

Program goals: To improve working conditions and quality of life for food delivery workers. 

How it works: The package of bills includes the following: 

Progress to date: The bills were introduced as a result of activism from Los Deliveristas Unidos, a group of mostly-immigrant delivery workers in New York City, during the pandemic in 2020. The City Council introduced the bills in the spring of 2021 and they passed on September 23, 2021. 

Why it is important: A 2021 report from Los Deliveristas Unidos details the poor working conditions food delivery workers face every day, including long hours, low pay, working outdoors in inclement weather, the physical risks of bicycling in the city, and being the target of violent crimes. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when restaurants were closed except for take-out and delivery, food delivery workers helped to keep them in business. While most of the city stayed at home, quarantined and socially distanced from outsiders, food delivery workers visited multiple restaurants and individual residences every day to help people receive food and restaurants to remain profitable. Often, they were offered personal protective equipment (PPE) only if they picked it up from an office location or if shipping costs were deducted from their paychecks. 

Food delivery workers in New York City are disproportionately immigrants and people of color, and Los Deliveristas Unidos claims that because of their limited proficiency in English, food delivery companies take advantage of them by making them sign legal agreements that are difficult to understand. Furthermore, because of their immigrant status, many workers are afraid to speak up for their rights. 

The NYC bills are an important step forward in protecting the rights of food delivery workers. 

Program/Policy initiated: The set of bills passed on September 23, 2021. 

Point of contact: N/A

Similar practices: This package of bills in support of food delivery workers’ rights is the first of its kind. 

Evaluation: Evaluation of these bills has not yet been conducted. 

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