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.
A man who plays four harmonicas simultaneously, a 7-year-old piano prodigy, and a woman who turns mixed materials into shoe sculptures were just some of the talented constituents who were featured at State Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo’s Artist Showcase on Dec. 15 at the Forest Hills Jewish Center (FHJC).
Dec. 20, 2024 By Emily Davenport and QNS News Team
After decades of helping New Yorkers celebrate life’s biggest moments, Party City is throwing its final party—announcing the closure of all its stores, including its last two locations in Queens.
Governor Kathy Hochul visited Queens Center Mall in Elmhurst on Thursday, engaging with local residents amid their holiday shopping to discuss the rising cost of living in New York and to promote her proposal to deliver Inflation Reduction checks aimed at easing financial burdens for New Yorkers.
Police from the 112th Precinct in Forest Hills arrested an Ozone Park man on Friday morning looking for allegedly striking an NYPD traffic enforcement agent during an argument in Rego Park on Wednesday afternoon.
Mark Garrido, 29, of 98th Street, is charged with assault and robbery for rushing at the 56-year-old victim, who was on duty and in uniform at 4:20 p.m. in front of a Taco Bell at 95-06 63rd Drive.
Council Member Robert Holden sharply criticized the MTA on Wednesday after the transit authority’s board approved a 2025 budget plan that includes fare hikes for public transportation and toll increases beginning next summer.
Hundreds of warehouse workers and drivers walked off the job and joined the picket line outside the massive DBK4 Amazon fulfillment center in Maspeth on Thursday morning as the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) launched the largest strike ever against the $2 trillion corporation in New York City, Atlanta, Southern California, San Francisco, and Illinois.
Amazon workers at other facilities across the country say they are prepared to join them to protest unfair labor practices after the IBT set a Dec. 15 deadline for Amazon to begin negotiations on a new agreement. The union was ignored.
Dec. 19, 2024 By Barbara Russo Lennon and QNS News Team
Queens commuters frustrated with inadequate bus service can look forward to improvements as the MTA plans to enhance service on several key routes next year. Governor Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday that the upgrades, which will impact 24 bus lines across New York City, include a significant boost for Queens riders.
Eviction rates at New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) properties have surged under the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program, raising concerns about tenant protections, according to a new audit by NYC Comptroller Brad Lander.