Mamdani's Delivery Bill Puts Amazon at Odds with City Hall
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has thrown his support behind the 'Delivery Protection Act', a bill that would require Amazon and other logistics companies to employ all last-mile delivery drivers in the city, rather than relying on subcontractors.
The bill, introduced by Queens Council Member Tiffany Cabán last September, aims to address concerns over worker safety and exploitation. Mayor Mamdani called Amazon's contractor-based model 'exploitative' and a danger to NYC workers, drivers, and pedestrians.
A study commissioned by the Five Borough Jobs Campaign estimated that passage of the bill would increase annual delivery costs to New York households by $664 and threaten over 10,000 city workers. Supporters claim that Amazon uses its third-party Delivery Service Providers model to underpay workers, ignore unsafe working conditions, and shield itself from accountability.
Amazon argues that the bill would negatively impact more than 40 DSPs and threaten over 5,000 jobs at these small business partners. The company claims that DSP drivers earn an average of nearly $24 per hour in wages, with full-time drivers receiving health care coverage and paid time off that exceed city minimums.