Delivery Workers Cheer Restroom Access and Tip Transparency Alongside AOC and Chuck Schumer
Gabriel Lopez, who has been making a living as a food delivery worker for over 18 months, braved the elements in Midtown, Jan. 21, 2022. Hiram Alejandro Durán/ THE CITY
Starting Sept. 24, New York City’s app-based food delivery workers are entitled to increased clarity on their daily earnings and tips, and the right to use most restaurant bathrooms, as new laws begin their rollout.
The Deliveristas celebrated the new protections Sunday afternoon with a rally in Times Square, flanked by allies including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-The Bronx/Queens) and Sen. Chuck Schumer, who has advocated for federal funds to create rest stops for the workers and other supports.
Also joining were city Comptroller Brad Lander and Councilmembers Carlina Rivera (D-Manhattan) and Justin Brannan (D-Brooklyn), among the lawmakers who introduced the Council bills.
The rally drew dozens of Deliveristas, many of whom hail from Indigenous communities from Mexico and Guatemala. Workers from Bangladesh and Mali also participated.
“We’re going to see big, big changes with these laws,” upper Manhattan delivery worker Manny Ramírez, 34, told THE CITY on Friday. “The discrepancy between what the client thinks we get paid and what the apps actually pay was immense — but now there is more awareness, and we felt like we’d won with that alone.”
“We feel like winners,” said Ernesta Galvez, 40, who works for the Relay app and is one of the few women among the Deliveristas. “It’s emotional to think about how far we’ve come.”
Ocasio-Cortez said in a phone interview on Sunday that the local gains for delivery workers send important signals nationally.
“What we’re seeing with the Deliveristas and the working class in New York, particularly tech workers, is such a strong counterpoint to what we’ve seen in California,” she said, noting that state’s ban on gig workers being recognized as full time employees.
Community leaders and Glendale residents came together on Sunday, Sept. 8, for a solemn prayer and remembrance ceremony at Dry Harbor Playground, honoring the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
While the annual income needed to afford to purchase a home in New York City was still significantly higher than the national average in August 2024, there was a large decrease year-over-year, thanks in large part to mortgage rates declining, according to a report by the real estate listing site StreetEasy.
The street co-naming ceremony of Firefighter John “Jack” Boyle Street, at the intersection of 78th Street and Furmanville Avenue in Middle Village, honored the life of a man rooted in service to his family, community and country.
The second annual hockey puck drop ceremony for the Middle Village Players Roller Hockey League demonstrated how determination and community support can keep a treasured tradition alive.
A Queens grand jury indicted a Jamaica man for the fatal drive-by shooting of a rapper outside a Woodhaven pub in 2018.
Johnathan Rice, 43, of 178th Street, was arraigned on Friday on an indictment charging him with murder in the second degree for allegedly gunning down 35-year-old Frank Synder, a Brooklyn hip hop performer and party promoter known as “Hollywood Play,” outside the Tavern Lounge in Woodhaven, where he was hosting an event for a friend’s birthday.
Do you remember? The first Thursday in September? If not, don’t fret. The Fresh Pond Road Street Festival began its four-day-long event on Thursday, Sept. 5, and will continue to offer fun games and vendors to the public until Sunday.
The average rental price for housing units across Queens went up 4.07% year-over-year in August 2024, according to a report by the real estate firm M.N.S. Real Estate.