App Delivery Workers in NYC Are Underpaid, Mistreated, and Often Injured, New Report Finds

A delivery worker cycles through Manhattan on December 02, 2020.Photo: Spencer Platt (Getty Images)A new report surveyed hundreds of delivery workers in New York City and found that many experienced unsteady wages, long hours, theft, and costly injuries. On top of that, they often described harsh treatment from restaurant owners, customers, and even the apps they work with.The report, titled “Essential but Unprotected,” is the result of a collaboration between researchers at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and two local advocacy organizations focused on immigrant workers: Los Deliveristas and the Worker’s Justice Project. As part of the report, the authors surveyed 500 app delivery workers in NYC during the pandemic—a time when in-person restrictions on dining and movement led to a surge in delivery work. They also conducted interviews and focus groups.The most common complaint expressed by delivery workers was low pay. For the average worker, the report estimated their hourly pay was around $12. But after excluding tips, the average pay was only $7.87 an hour. Tips, as anyone with food service experience knows, can wildly fluctuate from week to week, and to make enough to live on, many people reported working for multiple apps, while…
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