The City Council on Wednesday voted to override the mayor’s vetoes of bills that would increase salaries for grocery delivery workers and decriminalize unlicensed street vending.
The bills have been yet another clashing points between Mayor Adams and the more progressive Council, members of which argued the legislation is necessary protections for working-class and immigrant New Yorkers.
The first bill would eventually set a minimum wage of $21.44 for third-party grocery delivery workers — matching the minimum wage the city set for restaurant delivery workers earlier this year. That veto was overridden with a vote of 39-8.
The second bill would ensure companies with “contracted” workers performing delivery services receive the same wage requirements. The Council moved it forward with a vote of 40-7.
Another bill would end criminal enforcement for licensed street vendors and misdemeanor penalties for unlicensed street vendors. It was overridden with 35 “yes” votes and 9 “no” votes, with three abstentions.
Council members stood and cheered after the votes were finalized.
First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro claimed one member, Joann Ariola, was “intimidated” into voting for the override of the decriminalization of street vending. The override passed by two votes.
“It’s a shame that a bad piece of legislation went through this way,” Mastro said.
Ariola disputed Mastro’s claim about strong-arming — and excoriated the mayor in the process for issuing the veto, saying “the only thing that influenced my vote was the Mayor’s absolute inaction to work on behalf of the people of this city outside of the election year.”
The Council has argued the decriminalization of street vendors would help protect immigrants at a time when they’re being targeted by the Trump administration.
“There is no doubt that we need a comprehensive, well-regulated, enforceable system of street vending in New York City, but it cannot be by putting people in jail simply for selling food to support their family,” Councilmember and bill sponsor Shekar Krishnan said at the hearing.
City Hall declined to comment on the other two bills’ override.
Mayor Adams vetoed the bills last month, arguing then that they would be used to justify hikes in grocery delivery prices. That move came after his top aide, Randy Mastro, internally pushed against the measures. Amazon and Instacart, two top grocery delivery providers, also fought hard against the bills.
“Despite his own administration negotiating on and supporting these bills, Mayor Adams has chosen to abandon working people and disregard the work of his own staff to leave working class New Yorkers vulnerable to continued exploitation and Trump’s extreme agenda,” Speaker Adrienne Adams said at a press conference earlier Wednesday.
The Council had initially passed the bills with veto-proof majorities.
Before the Council’s vote, police officers went on a ticketing blitz outside City Hall, issuing tickets and arresting two people, according to Krishnan.
The Adams administration had previously praised the bills, with Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga, whose agency oversees wage laws for delivery employees, saying in December she wanted to “enthusiastically commend” the Council for advancing the bills.
The mayor argued last month bills would be used to justify hikes in grocery delivery prices.
“Grocery prices are already too high, so now is not the right time to do anything to drive these prices even higher,” he said in August. “Unfortunately, [the bills] would do just that at a time when too many working-class New Yorkers are struggling.”
In the weeks leading up to the vetos, Adams had been advised by Mastro to block the bills, sources previously told The News. People with knowledge of the matter said Diane Savino, a senior adviser to Adams at City Hall, has also been involved in the talks.
With Chris Sommerfeldt
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