Tired of the constant threat of being deactivated by digital platforms without prior notice or explanation, hundreds of distributors – the so -called deliveryists – require labor guarantees and a brake to what they consider undercover dismissals.
The mobilization supports the Intro 1332 bill, promoted by Councilor Justin Brannan, who seeks to protect application workers against arbitrary deactivations.
The most recent demonstration occurred on Friday, September 12 at noon in the Staircases of City Hall, where application distributors gathered together with the United deliveryists, the World Project, elected legislators and organized unions. The objective: demand the approval of the Intro 1332 and end what they describe as an unjustified dismissal crisis that affects more than 80,000 workers in New York.
If approved, the measure will guarantee the right to a process just before a platform can expel a deliveryman.
Today, more than 80,000 workers in this industry operate under a system that, as they report, keeps them in total uncertainty. It is enough that the application deactivates its account – without notice or clear reason – so that they losing their only source of income.
“Companies close accounts without notifying or explaining the reasons. The worst is that they do not allow us to appeal or send evidence. They simply disconnect you and you can no longer do anything,” said José Yos, a member of the United Delivers and Workers Justice Project, deactivated after suffering an accident while making a delivery.
Intro 1332 proposes that workers can appeal unfair decisions and, if it is shown that the deactivation was wrong, recover their account and return to work.
Ligia Guallpa, Executive Director of the Workers Justice Project, who represents the distributors, warned about the pressure exerted by applications: “The platforms have created a system that forces the distributors to deliver as quickly as possible, regardless of rain, accidents or delays of the restaurant. If you do not comply, they deactivate you. It is also a matter of public security. “
Dozens of distributors testified in support of the bill.
“We want safe jobs and also stability in a workforce that today is totally unstable. This is one of the most dangerous industries in New York,” Guallpa added.
Activists warn that constant fear of losing account forces many workers to assume unnecessary risks in the streets. The algorithms of the platforms reward the speed and the volume of deliveries, which in practice pushes to drive recklessly.
“Applications want you to arrive fast, regardless of traffic or weather. They are facing a computer, but we are on the street,” Yos explained. “They press us to meet under inhuman conditions and, if you don’t, simply eliminate you.”
The bill seeks to balance that unequal land and recognize the right to due process for a workforce that was key, especially during pandemic.
“Applications do with us what they want: they use us when they need us and get rid of us when not anymore,” Yos concluded.
Freddi Goldstein, representative of UBER and UBEREATS, explained that deactivations respond to the new minimum payment standards, which according to her encourage the platforms to eliminate accounts to avoid fraud. He assured that the application only closes accounts for fraudulent or risky behaviors with prior notice. Even so, he said that the Brannan project needs changes to achieve a balance between security and justice.
