Zohran Mamdani Is Going To War With Amazon. The Stakes Are Incredibly High.

New York's Delivery Protection Act would require Amazon, FedEx and similar companies to directly employ the drivers who deliver packages, ending a setup where Amazon vans are driven by workers technically employed by third-party ‘delivery service partners.’ Mayor Zohran Mamdani and deputy mayor Julie Su back the bill, arguing the arrangement lets Amazon control workers while dodging wage, safety and union-organizing obligations that come with being an employer.

Amazon says it might pull delivery operations out of the city entirely, warning of job losses and slower, pricier delivery if forced to route through hubs in Connecticut or New Jersey. A spokesperson says the company is “committed to creating good jobs,” a claim harder to square with the threat to leave rather than make the jobs it already has more secure.

A similar bill has already surfaced in Chicago under the identical name, suggesting this fight was never going to stay contained to five boroughs. DSP owners, whose businesses depend on Amazon contracts, have mobilized against the bill alongside the company whose model created their precarious position in the first place.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.