Brooklyn Delivery Workers Say They Struggle Under New Wage Laws

CROWN HEIGHTS, NY — When the city passed a law mandating that all food app delivery workers are paid $17.96 an hour earlier this year, people celebrated.

However, once the new regulations took effect, companies changed their policies on how many workers could be actively accepting new orders at a time, resulting in fewer hours and less flexibility for the workers.

This morning, a group of Brooklyn-based food delivery workers and small business owners gathered at Lakou Cafe in Crown Heights to discuss the problem.

“Now, I'm making less money and forced to work fewer hours, sometimes none because there are no orders, just to get by," said Ed Hatchett, a Brooklyn-based delivery worker. "I urge those with the power to make a change to listen to workers like me, who are out here every day trying to make this work."

The roundtable discussion was organized by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce and DoorDash, a food delivery app company.

The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce president urged policymakers to revisit the minimum wage laws at the event.

“One message that was heard clearly today was that there have been unintended negative consequences that can be directly attributed to the legislation itself, and to the subsequent rule making that has been established by the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection," said Randy Peers, President & CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. "We urge policymakers to revisit some of the changes, especially in the context of a changing economy where costs for small businesses have risen across the board due to inflation."