This Mamdani-Backed Bill Would Kill Jobs, Boost Unions, and Make Deliveries More Expensive
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The misleadingly named "Delivery Protection Act" would require companies like Amazon and FedEx to directly hire employees for last-mile delivery, rather than contracting this service out to subcontractors.
As if New York City weren't already an expensive enough place to live, legislation introduced to the City Council could soon make delivering packages in the five boroughs far costlier. Cloaked in the language of improving safety, the bill—recently endorsed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani—is little more than a thinly veiled attempt to strengthen the power of unions.
Introduced by NYC Council Member Tiffany Cabán in February, the misleadingly named "Delivery Protection Act" would require companies like Amazon and FedEx to directly hire employees for last-mile delivery, rather than contracting this service out to subcontractors. Last-mile delivery, which constitutes the final steps a package takes before hitting a consumer's doorstep, is the most expensive part of the delivery process, since it requires drivers to stop at many homes, often amid dense urban environments. The proposed legislation will only make this type of package delivery more expensive.
One of the main rationales behind the bill is safety. Proponents like Mamdani argue that Amazon's last-mile delivery service—which relies on subcontractor companies that hire their own workers—exacerbates traffic safety incidents in the Big Apple. Under this theory, ending the use of subcontractors would result in lower staff turnover and shift liability directly onto Amazon, which in turn could lower safety incidents and better protect the drivers themselves from injury.
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Jarrett Dieterle is a legal policy fellow at Manhattan Institute, where his work focuses on labor law, administrative law, and urban policy. Adam Lehodey is an investigative reporter at City Journal, covering governance, economics, and cultural affairs in New York City.