NYC Could Put Amazon On The Hook For Delivery Workers And Street Safety

NEW YORK, NY— New York City could impose new rules on Amazon and other major delivery companies that would affect how delivery workers are employed, how last-mile warehouses operate and how their trucks and vans move through neighborhood streets.

The Delivery Protection Act, sponsored by City Council Member Tiffany L. Cabán, would create a licensing system for certain last-mile warehouses and distribution facilities and establish new safety, training and worker-protection standards.

Amazon has built a large delivery network around subcontractors known as Delivery Service Partners.

The companies employ drivers, while Amazon controls significant parts of the delivery operation, according to a Bloomberg Businessweek investigation cited by the City.

The investigation found that Amazon controls factors including which drivers subcontractors can hire, when they work and where they drive.

Under the proposed law, the company operating a qualifying facility, such as Amazon, could be held responsible for employing workers who perform core delivery services.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the legislation would require companies to take responsibility for the consequences of decisions that shape delivery work.

“Corporations like Amazon build billion-dollar business models by insulating themselves from accountability through a system of exploitative subcontracting,” Mamdani said. “As last-mile delivery centers have exploded across New York, so too have traffic accidents and worker injuries.”

What Would The Delivery Protection Act Change?

The legislation would require qualifying last-mile facilities to obtain licenses from the City's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.

The bill also would establish minimum standards covering:

• Worker safety and training
• Workplace protections
• Delivery schedules and routes
• Productivity quotas
• Operations at last-mile facilities
• Corporate responsibility for core delivery work

The proposal would give DCWP authority to oversee facilities that currently operate with limited City regulation, according to the administration.

How Do Last-Mile Warehouses Affect City Streets?

Last-mile facilities handle the final stage of a package's journey. Packages arrive at the warehouse, get sorted and are dispatched to drivers for delivery.

Since 2017, at least 18 large last-mile facilities have opened across New York City, including 11 since 2020, according to the administration.

A 2025 report from the Office of the City Comptroller found that 78 percent of nearby areas experienced an increase in injury-causing crashes after last-mile facilities opened.

In Maspeth, crashes near major FedEx and Amazon warehouses increased by 53 percent and 48 percent, respectively, according to the report.

A cluster of facilities in East New York also saw sharp increases in crashes within a half-mile radius.

What Would Change For Delivery Workers?

Under the current subcontracting model described by the administration, delivery drivers can work under companies that Amazon does not directly employ, even as Amazon sets significant requirements for how deliveries are performed.

The proposed legislation would require the company to employ workers performing core services such as delivery.

That could change who bears legal responsibility for the people behind the deliveries.

50 small businesses delivery and logistics companies wrote a letter to the Council, arguing that the bill could put more than 10,000 city jobs at risk, eliminate hundreds of locally owned delivery businesses and increase costs for consumers and small businesses by as much as $664 per year per consumer.

The companies also argued that the legislation could make the City's delivery network less efficient.

“We have consistently warned that Intro 518 would threaten jobs, hurt small businesses, and increase delivery costs,” the coalition wrote.

The group includes companies such as SPYN Logistics, Brimela Routes, Northstar Logistics, DashWave Delivery, Pure Deliver, Highgate Logistics, Net Zero Logistics, NYC Delivery, D&N Fleet Corp., Accelerated Flywheel Logistics and others, as well as industry groups including the Customized Logistics and Delivery Association.

Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su said the bill would address what she described as a gap between corporate control and legal responsibility.

“For years, Amazon has relied on a convoluted subcontracting system that denies last-mile drivers the protections other workers get, while maintaining extraordinary control over their schedules, workloads and uniforms,” Su said.

The legislation would have to pass the City Council before it could become City law.