Transcript: Mayor Adams Announces First Annual Increase In Minimum Pay Rate For App-Based Restaurant Delivery Workers

April 1, 2024

Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga, Department of Consumer and Worker Protection: All right, good morning, everyone. My name is Vilda Vera Mayuga, commissioner of the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. Thank you for being here with us today as we celebrate the first annual increase in our minimum pay rate for our city's app‑based restaurant delivery workers.

The minimum pay rate wouldn't have been possible without the years of hard work and advocacy of our delivery workers. But I also want to shout out you, Mr. Mayor, for making sure that we center working New Yorkers in all that we do, from expanding free tax preparation services for more New Yorkers to this historic minimum pay rate. And so to tell you more about today's increase, I'd like to introduce Mayor Adams.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Now, whose children? Huh? You know that, they automatically lean over. I was the same way with my mother. Who's older? You're older?  So, this is your little brother. Love it, love it. Thank you so much, commissioner.

An important day today, and to all those who are here that come in the spirit of A. Philip Randolph. He was an African American Pullman porter who fought for increases in wages. There's a long, rich tradition of those who are in the field work harder so the next generations in the profession are able to ensure that they can take care of their families.

And that's what these pioneers are, the men and women who are behind us. They fought for so long, and I remember from time to time going to locales where they lost some of their colleagues from being struck by vehicles. And I also remember during Covid‑19 when we had many people who were able to social distance, people who were able to shelter in place. That was a foreign terminology to the men and women who stand behind us. They could not shelter in place.

When you picked up the phone and you called for Uber Eats, it did not fall out of the sky from the food god, it came from these men and women who are behind us. They delivered to you. They made sure that you were able to provide for your family, and today we're saying we are standing up for you so you can provide for your family.

This is an amazing, amazing accomplishment by this administration. And I really want to thank you, commissioner, for your dogmatic approach to it. No matter what the delivery or the apps workers were attempting to do, we were focused and our north star was to make sure that these families got what they deserve, and having the ever-present advocate for working‑class people, Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar, it's good to see you here today as we talk about this important piece of legislation.

Day one, our administration has been clear, and I'm saying over and over again: protect public safety, revitalize our economy and make this city more livable for everyday New Yorkers. And those are the New Yorkers who are standing next to us today, working class people who for far too long felt the vision of this city was leaving them behind.

And we are delivering on this vision every day. We've recovered all the private sector jobs lost during the pandemic, and these are the types of jobs we're talking about. We know crime is down and it's going to continue to go down and our city is getting cleaner and greener.

But we know that our economic recovery has not impacted everyone and it has not benefited everyone equitably, and that is what we are focusing on during this time.We're doing everything we can to make sure New York City remains a city for working‑class people. Many of these big cities you are witnessing over and over again are slowly pushing out working‑class people, and we're going to do everything in our power to make this a city of working‑class people.

That is why we will continue to make sure New York City remains a city where you can live and grow and raise a family. And today, we're doing exactly that as we celebrate another victory for working people of our city, a well‑deserved pay raise for app‑based food delivery workers.

Our delivery workers have consistently delivered for us; and today, we are delivering for them. We are leading the nation with this announcement of ensuring that they can receive a suitable pay that they deserve in this process. We know that wages have not kept up with the rising costs of living in the city, and everywhere we can make an impact, we're going to do just that.

And so when things get tough, we must invest in our most valued asset, and that is our people. We depend on our app delivery workers to deliver our food 24/7. You wake up in the middle of the night and you want something to munch on, you can call delivery workers. Many people don't realize when we legalize marijuana people get the munchies, and so they will call any time of the day to get food delivered to them, and during the pandemic we saw what happened and what was done.

Now delivery workers who work for Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub will receive at least $19.56 per hour.  Yeah, you can clap to that.

And that is $19.56 per hour before tips. Listen, we know the games that are being played to take away the tips, but we're saying let's stop those games. Let's make sure these delivery workers are able to get their tips. And I'm saying to you New Yorkers that $19.56 cents is a starting place.

If someone is delivering to your home, make sure you deliver them in a suitable amount no matter what games the app‑based companies are attempting to play. And City Council, we need to look at those games and make sure we fix the process. They deserve their $19.56 and they deserve their tips in the same process.

This is money working people have to work for. This is money they have earned and that they deserve. This is money they need to support their families. And just a month ago, just think about it for a moment, a month ago our delivery, a few months ago, our delivery workers were making an average of just $5.39 an hour before tips. That's unimaginable. This is crumbs compared to the endless buffet of profits delivery app companies make.

That is why June 23 we announced the nation's first minimum pay rate for app‑based food delivery workers. Since this new pay rate went into effect, delivery workers have already seen a 165 percent increase in their pay per week, and they're earning $850 million more annually.

Look at those numbers. And that's money back into our economy in the process. That means 60,000 of our hardest‑working New Yorkers out there will have their wages boosted. It's so important for them and it's important for us, and I want to be clear on this: minimum pay rate increased to reflect inflation because we know that New Yorkers continue to feel the burden of high cost — everything is going up from food to housing to everyday transportation — and we want to make sure that they can provide for their families as working class people in this city.

We know there's always more to be done and we're going to do that. We heard some of the problems that we're having with some of the app companies. We're going to fight hard to make sure that this action is not acceptable. And we're going to communicate with our Council partners to address the loopholes and some of the processes that are in place to prevent particularly the tips from taking place.

And this year, we announced, also, looking with the lithium-ion batteries that many of our delivery workers are using, we've announced five public e‑battery charging locations to test safe public charging of lithium batteries for 100 delivery workers. We want to continue to expand that, and we have launched our pioneer, first of their kind deliveristas hubs, a place where you can go and relax and just really deal with the constant movement that you're dealing with where our food delivery workers can just really get the shelter that they need and the support they need from a real fast‑paced, hustling, busy career in delivering to New Yorkers.

Thousands of delivery workers are doing the same to support themselves and their families, we're making sure that the broken people who power this sector are getting their fair share and a fair wage so they have money in their pockets for bills, rent and groceries.

That is what it's like to stand with working class people. We're really proud of this moment. Hats off to this entire team behind me. Hats off to an amazing commissioner who understood how important this was.  And we're going to continue to monitor and fight and keep the industry in alignment with helping working class people as they assist working class people every day. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Commissioner Mayuga: Thank you, mayor. I want to echo something you said. The minimum pay rate is putting more money into the pockets of delivery workers. There is no question that workers are earning more thanks to the minimum pay rate. Almost overnight, these workers went from being paid a rate of $5.39 per hour before tips to being at least paid $17.96 per hour before tips, and across the workforce, apps are paying workers $16.3 million dollars more per week from $9.9 million dollars before the minimum pay rate to $26.2 million per week after we began enforcement in December.

Annually, that is more than $848 million. That's a massive cash infusion for some of our hardest working New Yorkers. And with the increase that's going into effect today, workers can expect to make even more beginning their next pay period. As we announced back in June, the minimum pay rate started out at $17.96 per hour and would increase annually until April, 2025, when it will take full effect.
Today's increase reflects a $1 increase that is part of the steady phase‑in and an adjustment for inflation bringing the pay rate to $19.56 per hour. For the typical delivery worker, that means an annual pay increase of more than $14,000 before tips. 

And as Mayor Adams acknowledged, there is more work to be done. We know that some of the apps have added hurdles on consumers making it more difficult to add tips to orders. We absolutely do not endorse these business practices, and we urge our partners in the City Council to explore legislation to reverse these changes that have reduced consumer choice and wrongly punish workers.
DCWP is monitoring the apps for compliance with the pay rate, but any delivery worker who has questions about the minimum pay rate or complaints about it should reach out to us immediately at nyc.gov/deliveryapps or by calling 311. Just a few words in Spanish.

[Speaks in Spanish.]

Now I'd like to introduce Ligia Guallpa, executive director of the Workers Justice Project which fought so hard to make the minimum pay rate a reality. Ligia.

Ligia Guallpa, Executive Director, Worker’s Justice Project: Thank you so much. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you so much, commissioner, for really standing behind some of the most hard‑working New Yorkers of our city.

So, Worker's Justice Project is a worker center that has been organizing app delivery workers since 2020, in the midst of the pandemic. And since then, a lot has happened, and nothing would have been possible and we wouldn't be here because of the organizing of app delivery workers and some of those leaders who are right behind me who really took the streets to demand some of the most essential protections, such as minimum pay.

And we're here today. And we're proud to stand with Mayor Adams' administration, the commissioner, to celebrate and honor the labor of 65,000 app delivery workers. And the best way to honor them is by guaranteeing a dignified pay.

We're so proud to celebrate this milestone that would have not been possible, first of all, without the commitment of City Council, and Brad Lander, Justin Brannan and many other councils, and also without the leadership of our mayor, who really fought really hard to make sure that minimum pay was delivered during the implementation process.

And also the commitment of one of the most devoted departments, which is the Department of Consumer Worker Protection, who has been an ally, a defender and who really has stood behind 65,000 delivery workers, ensuring that they get their money and ensuring that they get the dignity that they deserve as app delivery workers and as hardworking New Yorkers.

And as we celebrate and as significant increases in minimum pay, I just want to say that it's not just $16 million per week that is going into the pockets of our delivery workers. This is hard‑working money that goes to mothers, that goes to fathers, that goes to kids who live in our communities, who now can finally be able to have some additional income to be able to pay rent, to afford food, and to live in our beautiful city that we proudly call home. 

And as we celebrate today's historic victory and as we celebrate a new minimum pay increase, we want to also reflect on the past and the past struggle that brought us here and also take a look at what's coming ahead of our future.

The minimum pay mandate is just the first step to set something more powerful, which is dignifying the work of app delivery workers. But the job is not done. There is so much more to do. We have seen as workers gain more and see a pay increase, we have seen app delivery companies retaliate by making it harder for consumers to tip, by deactivating unfairly and making sure workers pit against each other.

And guess what? We're not alone in this fight. We're proud to have the back of our mayor. We're proud to have the back of an agency who's fully committed to stand behind workers to hold these apps, wealthy, greedy app companies, accountable. And that includes passing a new set of bills, one that includes making sure tips come back to the beginning of your option as a consumer, creating more protections against deactivation, and making sure that there is more paid transparency for app delivery workers.

And we call on our allies, and we want to give a big shout out to our allies, the Taxi Workers Alliance, the Transportation Alternatives, 32BJ, and many of the groups that has really stood behind Los Deliveristas Unidos. We call them out, and we continue to hope to fight for more protections as we make sure that New Yorkers who deliver food and keep every New Yorker safe is also able to feed their families.

Thank you so much, Mr. Mayor Adams, for really standing behind the most hardworking New Yorkers, and the agency.

Commissioner Mayuga: Thank you so much, Ligia. And finally, we'd like to hear from a worker who's been a part of the campaign for dignified pay since the beginning, Rosario Elizabeth Reyes.

Rosario Elizabeth Reyes: [Speaks in Spanish.].

Guallpa: It's an honor to be here to represent my fellow deliveristas, especially the deliverista women who also do this work. My name is Rosario Reyes, and I am a member of the Workers Justice Project and part of the movement of Los Deliveristas Unidos.

Reyes: [Speaks in Spanish.].

Guallpa: Together we have achieved to be recognized as essential workers, but also we have achieved essential rights such as the minimum pay and that our, and this fight wouldn't have been without the support of the City Council and also our the mayor of this great city.

Reyes: [Speaks in Spanish.].

Guallpa: Despite the companies' continued retaliation and misinformation campaign, we will continue to fight, stand affirmed for our families and to make sure that our work has rights and dignity.

Reyes: [Speaks in Spanish.].

Guallpa: So, since minimum pay came into effect, many of my colleagues have seen a salary increase reflected. I personally work for DoorDash, and since the minimum pay started, I earn more. Earning more means more income to cover our rent, food and being able to support our family.

There are so many, many who have seen changes. Being able to earn more means being able to spend more time with our family, but it also means being able to take care of our health.
In my personal experience, I can share that I used to be one of those deliveristas that work 12 hours a day, and sometimes I will see $400 reflected in our income. And since minimum pay, I can say that that has doubled the amount of income I receive, which is $800. But now there's much more to do. Something that we're now seeing is deactivations as a form of retaliation from the apps.

Reyes: [Speaks in Spanish.].

Guallpa: Just like me, there are many more deliverista women who are in the streets, many single mothers who are the heads of the households who depend on this job and sometimes as full‑time jobs.
When we leave our homes, our intention is to return home to our families. The reason we started to fight is because this job has become one of the most dangerous jobs in our city. Having a minimum pay means being able to have more safety on the street and that these companies no longer feel they have an army of robots that are out in the street seven days a week, 12 to 14 hours a day, without pay and without rights. Thank you. 

Mayor Adams: Thank you. Well said. Assemblywoman, why don't you say a few words.

State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar: Well, congratulations, deliveristas. And to the 60,000 delivery workers across our city, this day is for you. Today we make history by implementing the first ever minimum pay rate increase for app‑based delivery workers.

And it is because of your passion, deliveristas. It is because of your organizing and your relentless fight. You did it. As the saying goes, immigrants, they get the job done.

And this day means so much to me as the daughter of immigrants, because setting a minimum pay right for the app‑based workers is about giving everyone a shot at the American dream.

I think of my own parents, my mom born in a mud hut in India, my parents who came to this country with $300 and one suitcase, and this country afforded my family opportunity and gave them a shot, and that is why I am standing here today. I'm a product of that American dream.

And now our delivery workers will have that shot. For many delivery workers, this job is only the first stop for their families. They're hardworking immigrant families who will become some of them business owners, labor leaders, whose children will become doctors, lawyers, politicians, whatever you can imagine.

The great American Cesar Chavez organized farm workers, and he famously said, it was never just about grapes and lettuce, it was always about people. This is not just about your Thai or coffee delivery order.  This is about dignity and respect for some of our hardest‑working New Yorkers.

Today we empower immigrant families like mine from my district in Woodhaven and Ozone Park to Jackson Heights to Sunset Park. The current average take‑home pay rate without tips for delivery workers is actually only $4 per hour. Today, we secure it to $19.56 per hour, a dramatic difference in the life of working families.

So, thank you to Worker’s Justice Project, to all of the organizers here, to Ms. Rosario Reyes, thank you.  And thank you to our great mayor for his vision. As our economy changes, the rise of app‑based companies has created these jobs, and we need to make sure that the worker protections keep up. And thank you to my great friend for a long time, Commissioner Mayuga. Thank you everyone for this great day. Si, se puede. 

Mayor Adams: Over to a few on topic questions.

Juliet, how are you?

Question: Good morning. Good, how are you?

Mayor Adams: Good. Hope you had a great Easter.

Question: Thanks. I did. Likewise. I hope you did, too.

So, with great fanfare, a couple of years ago, you were outside at the deliveristas hub saying that it was going to be ready, and it's still hanging out there, and I know the community board just rejected it. So, where is this hub, and when will it get developed?

Mayor Adams: What's that, the…

Question: [Inaudible.]

Mayor Adams: The rejection of the community board is not going to stop us from doing what is right. We'll get an exact timetable. Senator Schumer joined us in doing so. We're going to get an exact timetable for you on when it's going to be open. That space is hideous right now. It just should not look that way, and this is a great win‑win. And for anyone that believes that we should just leave it like that instead of allowing these deliveristas to beable to utilize it. And you know, it's interesting if you were to do an analysis of people in the community board in the area, many of them get their food delivered by these deliveristas. But we'll give you an exact timetable.

Question: Thank you. Mr. Mayor, two quick questions.We've been trying to get from the City Hall press office the answers to these two questions. The assemblymember to your right supports a bill that would require e‑bikes to be registered. And I know that's a bill that is opposed by many members of local deliveristas. Do you support that bill? Question two, Local Law 131 requires your office to set up a battery swap. We're supposed to be done by now. I wonder if you can tell, give me an update on the progress of the battery swap program.

[Crosstalk.]

Mayor Adams: You took the words right out of my mouth. What’s the next question?

[Crosstalk.]

Mayor Adams: Okay. Now, hold on, hold on, hold on. Now that you're a union member for him and advocating for him, we're dealing right now with the pay raise. And if you have a question on the pay raise, we're more than willing to answer it. And the team will get back to you on both those questions. Okay? Okay.

Question: So, you're the mayor, so sometimes I don't know if you actually pick up the phone and order something and maybe one of these deliveristas get the food to you or perhaps the staff members. I wonder what your instructions have been regarding tips.

Mayor Adams: We should always tip. I mean, if we do it in restaurants, you know, I try to do anywhere from 15 to 20 percent. If we do it in restaurants, we should do it with those who have food carts outside, you know. We should do it with those who are deliveristas. So, I'm a big believer, and my team knows that we should always tip. That is a sign of respect, and that is a sign that you appreciate the service that people deliver for you. And I've always tipped. As a little boy, I was a dishwasher. I never got all those tips coming in the kitchen, but I think we should always tip.

And go out of our way sometimes. You know, I noticed sometimes they have a nice little pot that everybody put the money in, but sometimes I would walk in the back and just tell, you know, the dishwasher or the person who's behind the bar, you know, here, I just want to give you an extra tip. Tipping is a sign of respect.

Question: Mr. Mayor, I know that this bill is going to really help the many members of the migrant community who have taken up this job as probably one of the only jobs they can get because they don't have working papers. I also wonder what you're going to do about the children of migrants who have been selling things on the street and are not protected and not going to school.

Mayor Adams: Yes, we are. And we're going to… Deputy Mayor Williams‑Isom is coming out with a real plan around that because that's a concern that we share also.

Question: But how worried are you? I mean, these are people that aren't going to school.

Mayor Adams: Deputy Mayor Williams‑Isom has put together a good team and we're sitting down with a bunch of our Assembly colleagues to really deal with this new issue that we're facing with children that are out on the streets. And you see that, I saw that in Ecuador, I saw that in Mexico, I saw that in Colombia. So, sometimes people bring their culture and how practices are done into the city, and we want to make sure that people understand children should be in school.

Question: Mayor, you mentioned working class jobs being on the rise andmany of the jobs back from Covid. One of the biggest employers hiring right now is the city, since the lifting of the freeze and the streamlining, you've announced much of that. How quickly are you able to get people in the door? Are you talking about moving past attrition hiring any time soon?

Mayor Adams: Rapidly. We did hiring halls, we got a couple more going, we're hiring again and we're looking forward to bringing in New Yorkers.

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