Amazon Teamsters and their allies including the NYC CLC rallied at City Hall yesterday in support of the Delivery Protection Act, later testifying in favor of the bill before the New York City Council Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection. The landmark legislation, introduced by Councilmember Tiffany Cabán, would outlaw Amazon’s controversial Delivery Service Partner (DSP) model across the five boroughs.
“For too long, Amazon has posed an existential threat to the safety of its workers and our neighborhoods,” said Thomas Gesualdi, President of Teamsters Joint Council 16. “This company is using every trick in the book to try to kill the Delivery Protection Act, but there is nothing they can do to stop the Teamsters.”
Amazon uses a network of third-party contractors known as DSPs to control workers and avoid legal responsibility for last-mile operations. This model creates dangerous conditions for DSP workers and communities alike. Last year, the New York City Comptroller’s office found that injury rates at last-mile delivery facilities in the city are more than triple the national average for private employers, a staggering figure driven in large part by Amazon’s operations.
The Delivery Protection Act was reintroduced earlier this year and quickly secured majority support in the city council after an intense lobbying campaign led by rank-and-file Amazon Teamsters and their allies. Read more here!