ADVISORY: Council Member Tiffany Cabán Introduces Delivery Protection Act Alongside Labor Allies
September 22, 2025
New York City
What: NYC Council Member Tiffany Cabán will be introducing the Delivery Protection Act alongside the Teamsters, the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, Amazon Labor Union-IBT 1, RWDSU, and Council co-sponsors Restler, Sanchez, Avilés, Marte, Nurse, Brewer, Hanif, Stevens, Menin, Williams, Hudson, Krishnan, Brannan, De La Rosa, Louis, Ayala, Ossé, Abreu Schulman, and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.
When: Thursday, September 25th, 12pm.
Where: Steps of City Hall.
Why: The delivery workers in NYC wearing Amazon vests, driving Amazon vans, and delivering Amazon packages don’t work for Amazon. At least, according to Amazon…
Background: Council Member Tiffany Cabán will introduce the Delivery Protection Act on September 25, 2025 to hold big delivery corporations like Amazon accountable and keep New Yorkers safe by improving labor conditions at the “Last Mile” facilities that big companies use to get packages from warehouses to your door.
“Last Mile” facilities are usually packed into just a few neighborhoods, bringing pollution, traffic violence, and safety risks. They rely on underpaid, unsafe, unstable jobs subcontracted to fake “third parties” to evade accountability. Last mile drivers and workers deserve to be protected from irresponsible and unsafe employment practices.
Here’s what the bill would do:
Require companies to directly employ their drivers, ending the shell “subcontractors” (also known as “Delivery Service Partners” or DSPs) who are not independent.
Make companies responsible for driver safety.
Protect workers from unfair firing and retaliation when they speak up.
Mandate real safety training through independent groups to make sure workers know their rights and how to stay safe.
Require Last Mile delivery centers to have a license so the City can hold them accountable.
The bill will be given teeth (enforcement) by the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.
Why does it matter?
“Last mile” warehouse and package delivery workers have the highest estimated rate of serious injury among private sector industries. On average, almost four in 100 full-time workers experienced serious injury in 2022. (Source: GAO)
Currently, when “Amazon” trucks cause traffic stoppages, crashes and damage to New York City’s streets, the question of who is responsible is muddied and Amazon is able to evade accountability.
Amazon and other big corporations must take responsibility for the dangers they pose to New Yorkers and adopt safe and fair labor practices. We must protect the health and safety of New Yorkers from the greed of big corporations who are endangering our streets to make a quick buck.
This bill will deliver:
Safer streets for New York City.
Job protections, job safety and fair treatment for the workers powering our city’s Last Mile delivery system.
Who supports this bill:
Council Members Cabán, Restler, Sanchez, Avilés, Marte, Nurse, Brewer, Hanif, Stevens, Menin, Williams, Hudson, Krishnan, Brannan, De La Rosa, and Louis
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso
The Teamsters
New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Amazon Labor Union-IBT 1
National Employment Law Project
ALIGN
RWDSU
Open Plans New York
Who opposes it, and why?
Companies like Amazon that have Last Mile delivery facilities and use a business model that relies on low-wage, insecure employees, and the widespread use of fake third-party subcontractors (“delivery service providers,” or DSPs). Amazon in particular has manufactured a precarious relationship which leads DSPs to be highly reliant on Amazon. Many of them are believed to be in debt to Amazon; Amazon provides their lawyers; Amazon holds extreme leverage over the DSPs.
###