BY ROBBIE SEQUEIRA
Since December 2020, more than
20 NYC food couriers have lost
their lives during delivery stops.
On two occasions this year, Manny
Ramirez, a food courier from the
Bronx, found himself in a hospital
bed doing a job he loves.
On Jan. 14, Ramirez, who commutes
through the boroughs on his
bicycle, was hit by car at an intersection,
which led to a four-month stay
at the hospital. On Sept. 29, Ramirez
was hit by another car turning into
an intersection causing damage to
his left arm.
Roughly 54% of NYC food couriers
who were surveyed in a Los Deliveristas/
Workers Justice Project
Cornell report said they were
victims of bike theft, and about 30%
said that they were physically assaulted
during the robbery.
“I’ve had two accidents and a violent
assault, and another attempted
assault,” Ramirez said. “On top of
this, on two occasions I’ve had a client
give me fake bills. Plus, there
is bicycle theft and the lack of bike
lanes in the city.”
Couriers often fi nd themselves on
the hook when things go awry, even
if they’re not at fault. A whopping
49% of respondents reported having
been in a collision while on the job,
and 75% of those respondents said
they had to pay for their medical
care out of their own pocket.
“In both assaults I was very fortunate
NYC Food
Couriers
And Their
Fight For
Autonomy
to not end up with a bad cut,”
Ramirez said. “In the more than fi ve
years that I’ve worked as a delivery
driver, none of the companies I’ve
worked for have contacted me to offer
any help.”
The stories of NYC-based delivery
drivers, many who have detailed
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, N 18 OV. 12-18, 2021 BTR
a working experience that includes
long trips with little rest, low
pay and in some cases, injury and
death led to one of the most ambitious
bills to pass the New York City
Council last month.
A package of bills — awaiting
signature from either Democratic
Mayor Bill de Blasio or his successor
Eric Adams, a Democrat who
takes offi ce on Jan. 1, 2022 — aims
to provide delivery workers’ access
to bathrooms in restaurants, trip
distance limits, protection from unfair
banking fees, reimbursement
for insulated bags, and, most importantly,
establishing a minimum pay.
The legislation was written in
collaboration with Los Deliveristas
Unidos, a collective of mostly immigrant
app delivery workers who
have long pushed for living wages,
bathroom access and the right to organize.
In the Workers Justice Project
report, 83% of couriers surveyed
reported that they have been denied
use of a bathroom at restaurants.
In a separate survey of roughly
500 NYC-based delivery drivers, respondents
said their concerns revolved
around low pay and dangerous
work conditions.
According to the Workers Justice
Project report, the estimated
delivery workers’ net revenues are
$2,345 per month, including tips.
For a delivery driver who works six
days or more per week — 85% of delivery
workers surveyed that this is
their main source of income — the
hourly net pay, with tips included, is
around $12.21.
“You earn it by picking up the
food and taking it to the client,” an
excerpt from the report reads. “Every
trip has a different payout, depending
on what the company de
Los Deliveristas Unidos, a labor organization of immigrant food couriers, have remained
diligent in securing improved working conditions for food couriers in NYC.