DCWP Celebrates May Day With Worker Day of Action and First-Ever TikTok Live With Teamsters
May 1, 2026
Agency Has Secured More Than $8 Million in Restitution for New York City Workers So Far This Year
NEW YORK, NY – Commissioner Samuel A.A. Levine and the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) celebrated International Workers’ Day 2026 with a day of action, canvassing throughout the city and hosting a TikTok Live with Amazon Teamsters to discuss NYC’s Protected Time Off Law. At 10 locations throughout all five boroughs, DCWP staff canvassed New Yorkers to inform them of their workplace rights and distribute the Workers’ Bill of Rights, a landmark guide to workplace laws. Commissioner Levine later discussed these protections and more with Matt Multari, a Teamster and driver at Amazon’s DBK1 facility in Queens, during the agency’s first-ever TikTok Live.
“On May Day, we stand in solidarity with the working people who power our city. True economic justice means ensuring not just survival, but dignity and opportunity for all New Yorkers— regardless of immigration status,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su. “This administration is fighting relentlessly to deliver a city we can afford, and I commend DCWP for using today to remind New Yorkers of their workplace rights and protections.”
“From its revolutionary origins in a Chicago square to an international movement, May Day is a moment to celebrate all working people, honoring the sacrifice and struggle to advance labor rights,” said DCWP Commissioner Samuel A.A. Levine. “In a time when the trench between billionaire corporations and everyday New Yorkers grows ever-deeper, this agency is committed to worker solidarity, collective action and leveraging our authority to deliver economic justice.”
“Amazon workers are the backbone of our city’s workforce, moving goods across neighborhoods in blizzards and heat, and yet as individuals we are treated as replaceable cogs in a machine. We must strive to be the perfect worker, always available for extra shifts, amiable when our shifts are taken off schedule and moved around, working through sickness or personal strife as long as it is not debilitating, without upward mobility to show for it,” said Teamster and Amazon Driver Matt Multari. “If you work harder, the bar is raised. If you don’t, you are cut. That’s why we organized a union with the Teamsters. It’s also why Amazon drivers should take advantage of the opportunity to protect our rights through the Protected Time Off Law and DCWP.”
During the TikTok Live, Commissioner Levine discussed rights available to New Yorkers under the Protected Time Off Law and fielded questions from New Yorkers and alongside Teamster Matt Multari. Multari shared his experience organizing drivers employed through Amazon’s Delivery Service Partners (DSP) program. Under the DSP program, Amazon does not recognize these drivers as direct Amazon employees.
Since January, DCWP has secured millions of dollars in restitution for approximately 51,000 New Yorkers through enforcement of New York City’s worker protection laws, including the Protected Time Off Law, the Fair Workweek Law, the Delivery Worker Protection Laws and the Freelance Isn’t Free Act.
- DCWP reached settlements with several companies, including a Dunkin’ and Taco Bell franchisee, to provide workers with more than $2.9 million in restitution for violations of the Fair Workweek Law.
- DCWP reached a $5 million settlement with delivery app companies Uber Eats, Fantuan and HungryPanda and secured reinstatement for workers who experienced retaliatory deactivation.
- Separately, DCWP reached an additional settlement with HungryPanda securing hundreds of thousands of dollars for immigrant-owned restaurants overcharged with junk fees.
- DCWP sued predatory delivery platform Motoclick and released landmark data showing Uber and DoorDash drove $550 million in lost wages for delivery workers.
Protected Time Off Law
Under the City’s Protected Time Off Law, in effect since 2014, most employees have the right to up to 40 or 56 hours of paid protected time off per year. Employers must also provide 20 hours of paid prenatal leave in addition to protected time off.
In addition to the new reasons added under Local Law 145, employees may use Protected Time Off for:
- Medical care or to recover from an illness or injury
- Caring for a family member who is sick or has a medical appointment
- Needs related to domestic violence and certain other crimes
Workers and employers can visit nyc.gov/workers or call 311 (212-NEW-YORK outside New York City) for more information about the laws that DCWP enforces or to file a complaint. Complaints can be filed anonymously. It is illegal for employers to retaliate against employees for filing complaints.
The NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) is the nation’s leading municipal enforcement agency charged with delivering economic justice. DCWP leverages its authority to bring New Yorkers real economic relief and protect them from predatory, deceptive, and unfair practices that violate their rights as consumers and workers. This includes pioneering cutting-edge protections, such as the City’s Consumer Protection Law, Protected Time Off Law, Fair Workweek Law, and Delivery Worker Laws, including the Minimum Pay Rate for delivery workers. Through licensing more than 45,000 businesses in over 45 industries, DCWP ensures fair competition and a level playing field for responsible small businesses that are integral to New York City’s vibrant communities. DCWP also provides essential services such as free tax preparation and financial counseling to ensure New Yorkers keep more of what they earn and can plan for their futures. DCWP is committed to making sure New York City is a fairer, more affordable place to live. For more information about DCWP and its work, call 311 or visit DCWP at nyc.gov/dcwp, sign up for its newsletter, or follow on its social media sites, X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Media Contact:
Stephany Vasquez Sanchez
Department of Consumer and Worker Protection
(212) 436-0042
press@dcwp.nyc.gov