NYC Council members override Mayor Adams’ vetoes of grocery delivery bills

New York City council members overrode Mayor Eric Adams vetoes of a pair of controversial grocery bills that will force delivery companies to pay drivers more, which critics said could result in higher costs at the supermarket.

Council members overwhelmingly voted to force into law a bill sponsored by Council Member Sandy Nurse, which would require third-party grocery delivery services to pay their delivery workers a minimum pay rate set by the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP).

“Today, we say no to poverty wages and to a Mayor who has abandoned working people,” Nurse said.

Progressives have said the new law could increase wages to more than $21 per hour for delivery drivers.

“When you order groceries on an app, they don’t magically appear at your door,” Nurse said. “Behind every delivery is a worker trying to earn a living and put food on the table. Int. 1135 simply guarantees that grocery delivery workers earn a minimum wage.”

Council members also overrode Adams veto of a bill sponsored by Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez, that would give food delivery worker protections for things like access to bathrooms, fire safety equipment and insulated delivery bags. 

“For a mayor who loves to brand himself as a champion of working-class New Yorkers, these vetoes weren’t just disappointing — they were a slap in the face,” Gutiérrez said.

Her bill also requires DCWP to study working conditions for delivery workers so the agency can determine the new minimum pay rate for the drivers. 

“These bills were designed to protect the very delivery workers his own administration once claimed they wanted to help. That City Hall is now wasting energy trying to block its own idea is as cynical as it gets,” Gutiérrez  said. “New Yorkers deserve better than political backpedaling.”