Good morning representatives from DCWP. I am frustrated that I am here to testify on this issue again. In December, I submitted testimony praising the agency’s research on the app-based delivery industry and associated recommendations, which thoughtfully considered many of the challenges that delivery workers face. At that hearing, I supported an increase to the proposed hourly rate and a reconsideration of the phase-in for the new rate. Instead, DCWP has chosen to roll back its initial proposal due to the impacts of corporate lobbying.
Last month, a group of 25 elected officials, including myself, sent a letter to Commissioner Mayuga outlining our concerns with the updated proposal. We all feel strongly about this for many reasons. First, this delay is in violation of Local Law 115 of 2021, which I supported as a Council Member. The law required DCWP to create this rule by the beginning of this year. Yet DCWP has allowed corporate concerns to outweigh improved living conditions for our city’s essential workers.
More importantly, DCWP’s updated proposal would put delivery workers’ average pay at just $12.69/hour in 2023, well below the city’s legal minimum wage of $15/hour. DCWP’s justification for proposing a $3.60/hour cut to base pay is that drivers have the option of “multiapping,” yet DCWP’s own study estimated that only slightly more than half of drivers work with multiple apps, and that these drivers are connected to more than one app simultaneously less than one-quarter of the time. This study occurred before many apps began cracking down on this practice by requiring advance scheduling of shifts, so these numbers are likely much lower now. Yet DCWP’s updated proposal allows the corporate apps to use this rare practice as an excuse to cut driver pay. This is unacceptable.
In conclusion, I will reiterate that delivery workers are essential workers. Their jobs are physically challenging and expensive, including frequent injuries on the job and associated out of-pocket medical expenses, as well as the significant costs of fees, safe batteries, charging and storage, and safety equipment, which have only increased since I was here last. I am here again today to ask you to immediately remove the $3.60 pay reduction, eliminate the phase-in, and ensure that our essential workers are making the fair wage they deserve. Thank you.
