Photo courtesy of Bike Portland via Flickr
Mayor Eric Adams and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer announced the launch on Monday, Oct. 3, of a first-of-its-kind hub program for New York City’s 65,000 delivery workers, many of whom are immigrants. The program is designed to use existing infrastructure like vacant city newsstands to provide a place for the workers to rest and recharge.
Government officials said street “deliverista” hubs will create a place for delivery workers to seek shelter from the elements, charge their electric bikes and cell phones, and at the same time, revitalize these empty spaces to ensure New York City’s public spaces serve all. Through a $1 million federal grant secured by Schumer in the upcoming appropriations bill for Workers Justice Project/Los Deliveristas Unidos, officials said a portion of the federal grant will also be used to help renovate a worker center in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for deliveristas.
In the context of the announcement, Adams said in part that deliveristas were out doing the hard work, day in and day out, and were essential to New Yorkers’ way of life and to the city’s economy. “Essential workers deserve essential services,” he said. “While most people have a break room to rest while at work, app-based food delivery workers do not.” He said the program will eventually help serve more than 65,000 deliveristas in New York City.
The news was welcomed by the Worker’s Justice Project and Los Deliveristas Unidos, whose executive director, Ligia Guallpa, applauded Schumer and Adams for what she called their commitment to invest and build the nation’s first deliverista hubs, a new infrastructure model that will deliver worker-led training programs, essential services, workers’ rights information, micro-mobility charging stations, and a safe place for deliveristas to rest. “We are proud to be partners in developing the concept of street deliveristas’ hubs, and to be transforming app delivery jobs into a profession that deserves a living wage, safe working conditions, and new deliverista infrastructure,” she said.
For his part, Schumer said in part that when he rode his bike alongside deliveristas last fall, he pledged to fight for better infrastructure to support their needs, including charging stations, shelter, rest areas, and more. “With $1 million in federal funding, I have secured for deliveristas,” he said. “We are creating these innovative street hubs and a renovated worker center. Alongside millions for better bike infrastructure in the Bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Law, we are proudly on our way to meeting that promise for better and safer biking infrastructure.”
The first-of-its-kind pilot program was needed due to an exploding workforce in this sector in the post-pandemic economy, according to government officials. Delivery worker hubs will be designed in high-traffic neighborhoods with input from both delivery workers and communities to design spaces that are most beneficial to both the workers and neighborhood residents alike.
The news was also welcomed by NYC Department of Parks and Recreation commissioner, Sue Donoghue, who said in part that City officials were thinking creatively about how parks and open spaces could best respond to the needs of the most vulnerable New Yorkers. “We are proud to be part of this first-of-its-kind effort to support app delivery workers by providing them with a homebase to take a break, take a call, and recharge,” she said.
Photo by Síle Moloney
Meanwhile, NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) commissioner, Ydanis Rodriguez, said in part that delivery workers kept New York City fed. “They are a vital part of the city’s economy, and they deserve safe, welcoming work environments, just like any other workforce,” he said. “DOT is proud to partner in this pilot as we continue to rethink our curb space to better accommodate e-bike deliveries.”
Government officials said the new hubs will also help keep streets and sidewalks clear for pedestrians, and alongside what was described as the millions of dollars secured by Schumer for safer bike infrastructure via the Bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Law, represents “New York City’s commitment to safe, innovative infrastructure to support critical essential workers.”
NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection commissioner, Vilda Vera Mayuga, said food delivery workers serve the City in rain, snow, and extreme heat. “These new hubs will provide much-needed shelter and services between deliveries for some of our city’s hardest workers,” she said in part.
As reported, in September 2021, the City Council passed legislation which entitled app-based food delivery workers to more clarity on their daily earnings and tips, along with other rights in terms of permission to use restaurant bathrooms during their shifts.
Meanwhile, reacting to the latest news, NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs commissioner, Manuel Castro, said whether New York was experiencing a pandemic or a storm, delivery workers often serve on the front lines in getting New Yorkers what they need. “This pilot program represents a true innovative step forward to ensure delivery workers know their rights and get support throughout their trips,” he said.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
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