USA: New York City announces mandatory minimum wage for food delivery workers
"NYC establishes first minimum wage for food delivery workers", 11 June 2023
New York City's food delivery workers are slated to make a minimum wage for the first time ever under new regulations announced by Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday.
Tens of thousands of delivery workers are slated to make at least $17.96 per hour plus tips by July 12, and at least $19.96 an hour by 2025, city officials said.
That's a sharp increase from what delivery workers make now. Many take home less than the city's minimum wage of $15 an hour...
The $19.96 hourly rate is less than the $23.82 the Department of Consumer and Worker Protections originally proposed last November – but is still almost three times more than what delivery workers currently make...
Delivery companies, like Uber and DoorDash, argued that the new legislation will force a raise in prices and less schedule flexibility, while some advocates claim these companies are manipulating employees into testifying against the measure...
DoorDash spokesperson Eli Scheinholtz said the company was considering litigation against the city over the new pay rules...
City Comptroller Brad Lander, however, referred to the rule as "watered-down" and said his office calculated that the average worker would actually be paid $12.69 per hour due to what he called "regulatory double-speak..."
The DWCP [Department of Consumer and Worker Protection] will monitor whether apps and other businesses are adhering to the new requirement, Adams said. He added that the city’s new minimum wage law “is setting the tone across America...”