On Oct. 13, clean air advocates gathered in Red Hook to urge the City Council and state legislators to pass protections with the Delivery Protection Act, the Clean Deliveries Act and Intro 53 — bills aimed at increasing accountability measures for large corporations such as Amazon and FedEx and enforcing pollution mitigation.
According to the NYC Comptroller's office, the number of packages delivered on a daily basis in New York City is over 2.5 million, more than the 1.1 million delivered in 2017. The report states that last-mile facilities are unique in that they are located in more densely populated areas, increasing changes of traffic crashes and air quality problems.
“Working people should not have to sacrifice their health, safety or dignity to get the goods our economy depends on,” said Assembly Member Marcela Mitaynes, sponsor of the Clean Deliveries Act.
The Clean Deliveries Act has currently passed the state Senate, and will need to be approved by the Assembly to be reviewed by the governor.
According to Council Member Alexa Avilés, sponsor of Intro 53, corporations such as Amazon are "squeezing more and more out of their workers and the communities where they site their warehouses.” In neighborhoods like Red Hook, Avilés said, that means higher risk of crashes and pollution.
The Delivery Protection Act, however, would establish a licensing system that would fundamentally change small businesses that currently make up the last-mile network.
While conversations about safety and pollution are one side of the story, some delivery workers at last-mile facilities argue that the Delivery Protection Act could hurt certain small businesses, BK Reader reported .
According to a spokesperson for the New York Delivers coalition, 10,000 people in the city could lose their jobs if Amazon became responsible for those workers, as there is no guarantee that Amazon would hire them.
Many elected officials continue to back the acts, however, including Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Mitaynes joined advocates in Red Hook in support of the acts during the rally, and continue to fight for all three bills to pass.
