Overview

• Mayor Eric Adams vetoed two bills that would have required grocery delivery apps to pay couriers at least $21.44 per active hour, citing fears of higher grocery prices for vulnerable New Yorkers.
• The legislation, passed with veto-proof majorities in July, sought to close the “Instacart loophole” by matching the pay floor for restaurant delivery workers.
• Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and fellow leaders announced plans to use their existing two-thirds support to override the veto when the full Council reconvenes on September 10.
• Instacart and other third-party delivery platforms mounted a heavy lobbying campaign, warned of price hikes up to 46 percent and have signaled potential lawsuits if the bills become law.
• Worker advocates and bill sponsors condemned the veto as a betrayal of nearly 20,000 predominantly immigrant couriers and argued it undermines equity and fair labor standards.