The International Brotherhood of Teamsters said union leaders and New York City officials urged a Council vote Thursday on a bill that would change staffing rules at last-mile delivery facilities.
The union said General President Sean M. O’Brien joined Amazon Teamsters and elected officials, including Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, at a City Hall rally. It described attendance as hundreds and said participants called on Council Speaker Julie Menin to schedule a vote. Mamdani said, “Drivers are standing up and demanding change,” according to the union’s release.
Intro. 518-2026, sponsored by Council Member Tiffany L. Cabán, would require a city license for each covered facility. These are warehouses where packages are sorted and dispatched for final delivery. The bill sets a $500 annual fee per facility license and a two-year term, after which operators could seek renewal. It would generally require operators to directly employ workers handling core warehouse and delivery services, and generally prohibit contracting out those duties, subject to exceptions. The direct-employment rules would take effect in the 12th month after enactment; some existing contracts could receive extensions ending no later than the 24th month.
The City Council’s Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection heard the bill April 9 and laid it over that day. The Council record shows no later action or scheduled floor vote. Mamdani announced his support Aug. 10.
A 2025 New York City Comptroller’s Office report examined 18 facilities opened from 2017 to 2022. Its before-and-after comparisons showed injury-causing crashes increased in areas around 14 sites. Across all 18, injury counts within a half-mile of the facilities were 16% higher on average. The report also identified subcontracting and fragmented oversight as challenges for enforcing worker protections.
In April testimony, Amazon said the bill as drafted could threaten more than 40 local Delivery Service Partners and the jobs of more than 5,000 people they employ. The company also said it might consider moving delivery operations outside New York City. Amazon has previously warned that the proposal could put more than 5,000 contractor jobs at risk. The Council record lists no date for a next vote.
