 Just so I'm doubly celebrating today. I am Vilda Veramayuga, commissioner of the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. Today we are joined by our Mayor, Mayor Eric Adams. And also the executive director of the Workers Justice Project, Ligia Gualpa. And a founding member of Los Deliberistas Unidos, Gustavo Ache. Lots of workers behind us. We have our friends from 32BJ, council member, Go Brewer. Thank you so much for all the support. Now, I want to start today, oh, council member, Marjorie Velazquez. We have a tradition in my household, and that is that every Friday is movie night. So my kids really look forward to that. And that means we order. We order in. And so it's very special to us, something that we do every Friday. We really depend on all of the delivery workers who make us help us keep that tradition alive. It's a chance for us all to reconnect after a busy week. A moment that I cherish so much as a working parent of two rapidly grown kids. And it's all possible to delivery workers. At Bay's restaurant delivery workers serve our city in rain, snow and extreme heat. Only to earn less than minimum wage with no benefits. Throughout the pandemic, they provided warm meals directly to our doors, helping so many of us to stay safe and healthy inside our homes and providing a crucial lifeline that allowed so many of our beloved restaurants to stay open for business during a time of such uncertainty. Ensuring these workers earn a dignified pay is an issue of equity. Like all workers, delivery workers deserve fair pay for their labor and to be able to support themselves and their loved ones. This new minimum pay rate will ensure they earn a better day's pay while still allowing for flexibility for both apps and workers. When the rate is in full effect in 2025, these workers will make at least 1996 an hour guaranteeing New York City's more than 60,000 at Bay's restaurant delivery workers a dignified pay rate and establishing pay equity with other workers who are protected by the minimum wage. We will continue working with advocates and worker groups like Leah and LDU here with us today to conduct outreach to ensure that workers learn about the new pay rate and DCWP will monitor compliance by requiring apps to submit detailed reports to us. I am so proud that our city has fulfilled its promise to deliver greater financial stability to more than 60,000 workers and their families. I encourage all delivery workers to visit nyc.gov slash delivery apps or call 311 and say delivery worker to learn more about the new pay rate and if you believe your worker rights have been violated, I urge you to reach out to us to make a complaint. I'm going to share some words in Spanish. I'm going to share some words in Spanish. I'm going to share some words in Spanish. And with that, I am going to turn it over to Mayor Adams who has centered this administration among our unhelping working families in our city here. Thank you. Thanks so much, Commissioner. And I really wanted to encourage those who are part of the organizing and part of who have been on the ground doing this. I want to encourage you to keep a journal because this is an American narrative and it's an American story to come here and fight on behalf of what you believe is right and organizing groups and using your political power and strength. And many of you are going to go on from being deliveristas to open up chains of restaurants. You're going to go on to organizing other groups. You're going to go on to producing your own products and allowing those products to be sold. I think this is only the beginning and the commissioner is right to ensure that no one is in our city hiding in the shadows of not being paid the minimum wage and it's good for the economy because when the deliveristas are paid the right salary, they're going to recycle the dollars back into the communities. They're going to become a benefit to the city and not an inhibitor to the city. This is an exciting moment. It is something that we wanted to get right because New York City is setting the tone for across America. And I want to thank my council persons who are here for their support as well as Senator Schumer. He's in route now, but I want to thank him for the role that he has played on advocating on behalf and the commissioner has done an amazing job of balancing the continuation and expansion of restaurants in our community in our city and the employees who are there but also the other aspect of it. Those who are delivering food, those who I saw during the years of COVID, when people were able to shelter in place, the reason they were able to shelter in place is because these men and women were delivering food and services to them. We had two New Yorks, those who were able to stay home and those who created the environment so you were able to stay home and we owe them a debt of gratitude. They delivered for us, now we are delivering for them. It is the right thing to do and we are proud of it. Technology has transformed the way we take out and deliver. Taking New Yorkers from a drawer full of paper menus to an amazing range of different cuisines right on your phone, right on your smartphone and able to get that service delivered to your door. It has been great for restaurants, consumers and the tech companies. Today we're now saying it is good for those who are delivering the food as well. We're making sure that working people who power the sector are getting their fair share. There are the contract workers who have to cover lots of costs themselves paying for the bike or car and medical bills if they get sick or hurt and they deserve a raise just as we fought for raises and we continue to do so for our union members. We are fighting for raises for this union organizing body that is here. Effective July 12th, we are raising the minimum wage for our city's app-based restaurant delivery workers from an average of $7 an hour to at least $17.96 an hour. Significantly boosting the base pay rate for over 60,000 of the hardest-working New Yorkers out there. You see them every day, all day, coming and delivering the necessities that you need. The ones who bring you pizza in the snow and that thigh food you like in the rain. This new minimum pay rate will guarantee these workers their families can earn a living. They should not be delivering food to your household if they can't put food on the plate in their household. We are balancing out on both sides of the equation. The bottom line, our delivery workers have consistently delivered and we understand that. The rise of delivery apps and services has created a new kind of workforce and a new kind of workforce need new policies and protections from our city government. Supporting them is a core part of our working people's agenda. We say it over and over again, this is administration of a working people's agenda. I want to thank everyone who played a crucial role in this initiative, and particularly the last delivery service, UNINDOS, for what you have done and have been consistent in this area, and all who has delivered items for us 24-7, kept this city a city that never sleeps because our delivery services are on our streets delivering the food to us. As a former paperboy that delivered papers to the homes of countless number of people when the Long Island press was there, I lived off those tips. That is not the day that we are living in now. People must live off of a base salary and I encourage everyone who's listening to this, don't forget the tip. We like the tips as well. Congratulations to all. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. And now I'd like to introduce two people who fought so hard to get just a just pay rate for delivery workers. Ligia Gualpa, Executive Director of the Worker's Justice Project, and Gustavo Ache of Los Deliberistas Unidos. Thank you, Mayor Adams and Commissioner Mayuga for welcoming us. So good afternoon, everybody. My name is Ligia Gualpa. I'm the Executive Director of the Worker's Justice Project, which organizes Los Deliberistas Unidos in 2020. And I'm proud to be here today. And today marks a historic moment in our city's history. We can finally say that New York City's more than 60,000 app delivery workers who are essential to our city will soon be guaranteed a minimum pay. New York City is delivering justice for Deliberistas. This victory would have not been possible without so many people in this room and as well as countless others. And I want to acknowledge a few of them. And first, I want to say thank you to Mayor Adams and also his administration for setting the minimum pay rate and for recognizing the contributions of delivery workers. And a special thank you to Deputy Mayor Maria Torres Espringer and our Commissioner Mayuga. And I also want to say thank you to Brett Lander, who first championed this minimum pay as a City Council member. And I want to say thank you also who we're going to see in soon, our Senator Schumer, who has been our ally, our partner, our biggest supporter since the beginning. And we're grateful to you both, as well as our city and state elector officials for their endless support and their commitment not only to Deliberistas, but to every worker in our city. And also thank you to New Yorkers, who uses delivery apps and demanded this very moment in our history. And unfortunately, apps will try to scare customers by claiming that today's announcement will force to raise prices. They will say that $19.96 cents per hour is too extreme. But what they won't tell you is that they force Deliberistas or delivery workers to spend hundreds of dollars a month just so they can do this work. The apps won't tell you that Deliberistas don't receive any benefits and they're required to spend their hard earned money on expenses, putting the build for their equipment like e-bikes were very expensive, health insurance, protect the gear, cell phone plans, and so much more. And last, I also want to say thank you to every courageous Deliberista who's part of Los Deliberistas Unidos and who has been critical to our cities. And this movement started three years ago when Gustavo Orche, who's a founding member also of Workers Justice Project, began responding to Deliberistas by connecting them with resources, cash relief, most importantly a safe space to organize through the workers justice during the pandemic. After countless street meetings, conversations during the pandemic, and after having conversations about the hard work, the poverty pay, unsafe working conditions they were facing during the pandemic Deliberistas from all over our city from the Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens came together to organize and fight for better working conditions. A group chat that was actually created during the pandemic as Los Deliberistas Unidos as emergency response and within months that chat grew into one of the largest movement of gig workers that this country has ever seen. And today's announcement serves as a reminder not only to the power of organizing but the power of workers everywhere in our city, in our country. Despite what the app companies are claiming, this first of its kind minimum pay rate will uplift working and immigrant families, ensure that workers who keep New Yorkers fed can are able to keep also their families fed too. The Workers Justice Project is honored to be part of this historic moment. We look forward to counting with our, we look forward to count continuing our strong partnership with Mayor Adams, his administration, city council, Senator Schumer to ensure that every worker in our city is protected, is safe, is treated with dignity and respect that they deserve. Thank you. So, good afternoon. My name is Gustavo Akche and I'm the founder of Los Deliberistas Unidos and representing 60,000 up-delivery workers who leave their homes with the hope to provide a better life to their families. To get to this moment, we fought a lot and many companies have become billionaires from our hard work and our labor. This fight started with a vision to bring dignity and better working conditions to every worker in our city. And I want to say a special thank you to every New Yorker for their generous tips. But now we can say we're not going to only rely on the tips but actually on a minimum pay for our labor. Para llegar este día hemos sufrido, estamos acá contentos, pero en los últimos meses hemos sido víctimas de ataques anti-sindicalistas y de desinformación, pero eso no nos hizo rendir, estamos acá victoriosos. So, to get to this moment, we have suffered a lot, especially being victims of union-busting type of tactics, but nothing has stopped us to get us to this moment. En un momento yo no quise ya seguir con esta lucha, pero en el 2020 yo sufrió un accidente y me quedé en casa como 15 días y lo único que hice cuando me accidenté, llamar a la aplicación y lo primero que me preguntaron ellos es cómo está la comida y eso me fustró y me dio más fuerza para seguir luchando. So, in one moment of my time, I didn't want to keep organizing, but until 2020 while I was working as a delivery worker, I got into an accident and I called the company to report my accident and what the company really cared more was if the food was okay. Me hace sentir afortunado de ser una de las personas que ha luchado por mejor vida y para que los trabajadores de reparto sean tratados con dignidad y gracias al alcalde, Eric Adams, a la comisionada también, a senador Schumer, que siempre han estado con nosotros y a todos los consejales acá presente, a Teddy to V.A. y hay un sin fin más de organizaciones y aliados que siempre nos han apoyado de una y otra manera y eso me hace sentir orgulloso de que no estoy solo, hay mucha gente que nos apoya y nos sigue respaldando día a día y esta lucha continúa. Accident inspire me to keep organizing and fighting. I'm a person that likes and will never stop fighting and I'm proud to to be here but also to say thank you to our mayor Eric Adams, our commissioner Mayuga and every city council member that has stood behind us and also allies, organizations that has been part of and has kept us supporting and thank you for having our back. And I forgot to mention that Gustavo also thinks Senator Schumer who has been our ally and our supporter in this fight and he just wanted to remind them important moment when he saw Eric Adams at one event in upstate Albany just to say hi and just like his quote to get stuff done he said to me I will not disappoint you I promise you and yes we got to this moment I strongly believe you mayor. And now I would love to introduce a fierce advocate for delivery workers all working people not only in New York City but across the nation. Senator Schumer. Well thank you I just got back from the parade we had a great time you know what I said throughout the parade. Anyway it's great to be here today with some of my favorite people in all of New York City and that's the Deliveristas. As you know I've worked with the Deliveristas on so many issues over the past years I'm deeply moved by their passion and by their ability. It's rare you have an organization that is both passionate but really smart about how to get things done but the Deliveristas combine both and we're celebrating one more large victory in that fight the first minimum pay standard for tens of thousands of delivery workers across New York City. We're here today for a couple of reasons first and foremost is just the tireless organizing of the workers. I've been with them from the beginning when no one would recognize them and they never gave up. They're beautiful people they care they're the American dream hardworking people didn't come here with much but they worked so hard to just try and build a little bit of a better life for themselves and for their families and I was I rode the bike with some of them I went on a few Deliverista routes let me tell you it's not so easy full of cars darting in and out and so much else going on and of course the order the you know the big companies they don't care if they're telling them to go three miles and get there in 20 minutes it's really a tough job but they did a great job and they never gave up they always had that faith the movement that they put together is one of the most exciting and extraordinary examples of new labor organizing anywhere in the country because we have to organize people who have never been organized before and it's very important to do that and this was one of those instances and this the Deliveristas formed unity across many languages and culture and now there's hope on the streets hope on the streets because of what they have done I want to thank Lidia would you go there you are yes and the workers justice project Gustavo and Manny Ramirez my buddy and all of the workers across the city second is Mayor Adams his whole team and the great folks at DCWP this is a mayor who's committed to working people he knows what it's like he struggled in his life and so he has an innate feel for when people struggle but he also has some power to get something done about it and he doesn't shy away from using that power he's lived their struggles he grew up in a family and community that knew like mine we knew how much a little extra money meant it's not nothing when you don't have much it's a lot some people might say this isn't that much live the life and then say it's not much and so um uh he knows in his heart the mayor does the joy and relief that the thousands of families from Sunset Park to Jackson Heights to everywhere in between are having I've been proud to be a part of this my team and Adams team work closely together for months and it's been great collaborating with him and his team to make this a reality he has led the charge and I have his back he is truly the get stuff done mayor third I want to thank many lawmakers who are here I see Marjorie I see uh Carlina just came in Gail who's always here uh did I miss any of the elected officials I don't think so okay well all right and thank them for being here because they've been great allies in the council to make this happen so here we have it the combination of first the passion and strength and never say die um of uh emotions of the delivered east does second a great mayor who cares and third other elected officials who stood in so congratulations see se play day thank you so much uh senator just fighting on behalf from washington for us just continue to deliver talk about delivering you just continue to deliver for the city of new york and the state of new york can we do a few um on topic questions and for us as in the so the rule goes into effect July 12th and part of the rule has requirements for the applications to submit records regularly to our agency that's how we are going to be checking on compliance and certainly all of the delivery workers they are going to let us know as well if there's any concerns anything they're observing so that we can be also taking action and and the as any other uh protections that are in place if someone is not receiving their minimum pay those those are still in place here and so uh there will clearly be a way to report that you have an amazing organizing team here if they receive complaints uh we have the human rights agency as well so the same processes as any work in the city that's not receiving their pay that avenue is open for this body of workers also you should stay up the the rule offers options there's two options the apps can play pay by hour for all of the trip time or they can also pay for connected time which will be a per minute time it will start at about 50 cents and it will go up to at least 55 cents yeah i think that that is really an alignment with what the senator has stated stated that the this new industry i mean this is a new industry that's materializing before our eyes here in new york city um there are several items that we have been working on together of the conversion of news stands which is a real win we're pushing forward of the batteries we know the e-bikes batteries have created a real challenge particularly of those batteries that don't pass proper certification and so we are going to do what we can do under government to end but we also in communications with the delivery app company to play app companies to play a role as well we want we want the tools that are being used to be safe uh and we don't want unsafe equipment so we're still in negotiation conversations but we're taking our steps as well okay thank you congratulations everybody