City Council Leaders Back Bill Protecting Amazon Drivers

NEW YORK, Feb. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Amazon Teamsters and their allies gathered at New York City Hall today to call for passage of the Delivery Protection Act during its introduction for the 2026 City Council session.

The groundbreaking legislation, authored by Councilmember Tiffany Cabán, would protect workers and communities by requiring last-mile delivery facilities in New York City to be licensed and directly employ their staff. Amazon utilizes a corrupt third-party model called the Delivery Service Partner (DSP) program, which allows the company to deny liability and control workers without the financial or legal responsibilities of a direct employer.

"Amazon has pocketed billions off the backs of workers yet dares to claim that the people delivering their packages don't work for them," said Randy Korgan, Director of the Teamsters Amazon Division. "The Delivery Protection Act is desperately needed to end this trillion-dollar company's exploitation of its workers in New York City. When the Teamsters and our union allies succeed here, we will take this fight to cities and localities across the country."

"We're confident that New York is going to be the first city in the country to get this done," said Thomas Gesualdi, President of Teamsters Joint Council 16. "We're in a new era of politics in the five boroughs — one where workers and their advocates are in the driver's seat — and this bill embodies that spirit."

The legislation has already secured majority support for a second time, including the support of Council Speaker Julie Menin, setting the stage for a hearing in the Workforce Protection Committee and a floor vote.

"Professional drivers like me power New York's economy, but every day we have to deal with dangerous working conditions and an employer that acts like we don't even work for them," said Luc Rene, an Amazon driver at the DBK4 location in Queens. "The only way to stop Amazon's abuse of us and the communities we serve is to pass the Delivery Protection Act."

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents over 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on X @Teamsters and on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.

Contact:
Matt McQuaid, (771) 241-0015
mmcquaid@teamster.org 

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SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters