As a mom, it’s so important to be able to be there for my son – whether it’s taking him to school, baseball or soccer practice, or being home with him when he’s sick. It’s this ability to be present in his life every day that led me to explore food delivery work.
When I was laid off from my full-time job a few years ago, my husband and I had a long discussion about what’s next. We agreed it was important for me to find work that provided the flexibility to be there for our son while still earning additional income to support our family.
But in the past few years, the City Council has put that flexibility in jeopardy. Now, yet another threat to my livelihood is emerging from the Council, and on behalf of thousands of delivery workers, I’m asking them to stop before they make it any harder for me to make a living.
When I first started working on the apps, I – like many delivery workers – took advantage of multiple platforms, including restaurant delivery. But that was short-lived. When the City Council passed a law that forced restaurant delivery companies to create a nightmarish scheduling system, one that required workers to book full shifts just for the chance to make deliveries. Even if you were lucky enough to get the shift you wanted, you may not be lucky enough to get any orders.
For me, eventually it wasn’t worth taking extra time out of my day to fight over limited shifts with fellow delivery workers. And I’m not alone.
On top of that, when food costs started to rise because of the changes being made to the apps, tips went down considerably. Ultimately, I became one of the 12,000 delivery workers who were no longer able to get work through restaurant delivery apps.
Fortunately, that law only affected restaurant delivery platforms. Which is why now, I only deliver groceries, as I still have the flexibility to choose my own hours.
But that could soon change.
The City Council is considering another bill that would put grocery delivery work at risk too, once again threatening to jeopardize the income I’m able to bring home to my family. If passed, it would mean grocery delivery platforms will likely need to put in place the same disastrous shift-based schedules that restaurant delivery was forced to do – jeopardizing the essential service shoppers like me provide and eliminating the flexibility we want that comes with app based work.
I lived through what happened when restaurant delivery platforms had to comply with similar rules. If the Council goes through with this latest bill, they will be doubling down on that mistake.
If this new bill passes, fewer workers will be available when demand spikes, delivery prices will go up, and more New Yorkers will struggle to access fresh food and afford the services they count on to get everyday essentials –all while grocery prices continue to rise.
If City lawmakers truly want to improve conditions for grocery delivery workers, they should talk directly to grocery delivery workers like me and listen to what’s important to us – the people this would affect the most. We should have a say in the decisions that affect our livelihoods, and the City Council should pass legislation that doesn’t put this work at risk.
Jean-Marie Padilla is a Brooklyn-based food delivery worker and advocate.
