Overview

• Mayor Eric Adams vetoed two City Council bills on August 13 that would have set a $21.44 per active hour minimum pay for grocery delivery app workers to avoid higher grocery prices for New Yorkers
• Both measures passed in July with veto-proof majorities covering roughly 20,000 drivers, positioning the Council to reverse the veto if two-thirds of members concur
• Speaker Adrienne Adams announced that the Council’s Democratic majority will vote to override the vetoes at its next full meeting on September 10
• First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro defended the mayor’s action by warning of increased delivery and grocery costs, an argument reinforced by Instacart’s estimate of up to a 46% price hike and a petition signed by about 11,000 customers
• Worker advocates and Council progressives condemned the veto as a betrayal of immigrant and low-paid workers and vowed to push the wage protections back into law