Bronx Amazon delivery contractors push back on the Delivery Protection Act
The City Council bill would effectively end delivery subcontracting in NYC. South Bronx operators say jobs are at risk, while supporters point to safety and closures.
Amazon delivery contractors in the Bronx are opposing the Delivery Protection Act, a City Council bill that would effectively end delivery subcontracting in New York City. Under the bill, distribution facilities would need a city license, and new safety standards would apply. Mayor Mamdani said last month that he supports it.
What the Delivery Protection Act would change
The mayor argued that Amazon uses subcontracting to avoid accountability. The Department of Consumer and Worker Protection said the arrangement puts last-mile drivers in danger, makes their income unstable and makes streets less safe. “New York City must pass the Delivery Protection Act,” press secretary Stephany Vasquez Sanchez said.
A supermajority of the Council backs the bill, but it has not come up for a vote. Amazon has lobbied hard against it and said it would consider moving its warehouses out of the city. More than 40 Delivery Service Providers, the contractors that handle Amazon’s last-mile deliveries, operate in the city, with more than 5,000 workers.
Why South Bronx operators oppose the bill
Two contractors in the South Bronx argue that removing the subcontractor layer would cost jobs. They say it would also cut out a community-based link between drivers and the corporation, which could leave drivers with less training and education.
One of them is NorthStar Logistics, which runs drivers out of Amazon’s DYN9 site in Hunts Point. Its CEO, Ty Barnes, said he carries extensive insurance to protect workers, and his company pays civil service exam fees for employees, dozens of whom live in city shelters. A North Bronx native, Barnes spent 25 years at Con Edison, rising from meter reader to manager. He wants the job to be a stepping stone. “If you’re here for more than a year, I feel as though I personally failed you,” he said.
Supporters say Amazon’s own practices already threaten these contractors. A Teamsters complaint found that Amazon delivery contractors made up 30% of transportation and warehousing closures in New York from 2023 to 2025. It also found that at least 13 of them did not give workers proper notice before letting them go. ALIGN, an alliance of labor and community groups, has released a map showing how Amazon’s delivery vans affect safety on city streets.
Quick answers
What is the Delivery Protection Act?
A City Council bill that would effectively end delivery subcontracting in NYC, require licenses for distribution facilities and set new safety standards.
Has the Council voted on the bill?
Not yet. It has supermajority support but has not been called up for a vote.
