2173 White Plains Road 718-931-4335
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, N BTR OV. 12-18, 2021 19
Just South of Pelham Pkwy.
OPEN
7 DAYS
SALE
WE CARRY A WIDE VARIETY OF Fresh Organic Produce • Gluten Free Foods
Organic Foods, Herbs, Homeopathic Products & More
25%
OFF
SALE ENDS 11/30/2021
WE CARRY A FULL
SELECTION OF
CBD
PRODUCTS
SINCE 1978
KAL-SOLARAY
MEGA FOODS
BLUE BONNET
NEW CHAPTER
NATURES WAY
GOOD N NATURAL HAS NY ‘S LARGEST
HERBAL TEA SELECTION
WE ALSO STOCK A LARGE SELECTION
OF COFFEES AND COFFEE SUBSTITUTES
cides to give the rider, and what
the client gives as a tip. In a workday
of 8 to 10 hours, it’s around 90
dollars without tips, with estimates
(of) 15-20 orders.”
Los Deliveristas/ Workers Justice
Project points out that, if you
exclude tips — which account for
44% of a couriers’ earnings and
a highly unstable and variable
form of income — the average net
pay of app-based delivery workers
amounts to $7.87.
“My job was to deliver a little
bit of tranquility as they were being
exposed as little as possible to
the virus. In this year that is about
to end, and part of the past year is
when I’ve made the least amount
on tips, but without a doubt I feel
the most satisfi ed that I’ve ever
felt,” Ramirez said. “We receive
calls from people killed doing what
I do, delivery drivers, who go out
to work like me, and it makes me
think of the void that remains in
these families who lose a loved one
who was just trying to work.”
Another complaint, expressed
by delivery drivers and food couriers,
are third-party app’s algorithmic
management that is impacting
their ability to get work.
Apps like Door Dash and Uber
Eats rely on a workers’ acceptance
of orders and consumer ratings,
couriers say. However, if workers
reject too many orders or if they receive
low ratings from consumers,
they face lower ranking with the
apps, fewer or less favorable time
slots to connect with the apps, and
even deactivation of their accounts.
A spokesperson with DoorDash
told the Bronx Times that delivery
drivers, otherwise known as
Dashers, are never deactivated
for declining orders and are able
to decline as many orders as they
choose.
“This is why last year, we announced
an industry-leading set
of initiatives to improve Dasher
safety, strengthen earnings, and
expand access to restrooms. We
will continue to work with all
stakeholders, including the City
Council, to identify ways to support
all delivery workers in New
York City,” a DoorDash spokesperson
said.
The spokesperson also said that
Dashers can decline any order and
the company removes ratings under
5 stars when the reason was out
of the Dasher’s control, and that
Dashers are eligible for federal occupational
accident insurance coverage.
Hildalyn Colon Hernandez, director
of Policy and Strategic Partnerships
at the Workers Justice
Project, said that the work done
to improve working conditions for
New York City delivery workers is
the fi rst step in hopefully setting
an example nationwide.
“This city can set an example
for how we treat the hard-working
men and women who deliver
your food through storms, during a
pandemic and through all circumstances,
with basic respect and dignity,”
she said. “There’s still more
work to be done but we’re proud of
the progress we’ve made in NYC.”
NYC food couriers were considered essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, but
many struggled to earn living wages, gain access to bathrooms or feel safe during food
trips. Photos Robbie Sequeira