New York, NY – On July 29, 2026, I and our LaborPress media team joined Mayor Zohran Kwame at the Robert F Wagner Jr. Park, 20 Battery Place in Lower Manhattan as the Mayor and Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Sam Levine discussed an important report describing NYC initiatives to crackdown on deceptive practices by app-based delivery platforms. The city’s efforts have delivered $104 million in additional tips for delivery workers.
Since the City began enforcing new tipping protections on January 26, 2026, tips have doubled, and the city’s approximately 70,000 app-based delivery workers are on pace to earn an additional $184 million annually in tips, or about $2,287 more each year for the average worker.
“For years, delivery apps buried the tip button to pad their own bottom line, and delivery workers paid the price,” said Mayor Mamdani. “We changed the law, enforced it, and it’s working: $104 million has gone back into the pockets of the workers who keep this city fed, rain or shine. New York will not allow billion-dollar tech companies to boost their profits by taking money from working people.”
When New York City’s historic minimum pay standard for 70,000 app-based delivery workers took effect in December 2023, major tech platforms like Uber Eats and DoorDash responded by hiding tipping menus. DCWP estimates those changes cost workers an estimated $550 million in tips. Since January 26, 2026, delivery apps operating in New York City have been required to provide customers with a clear tipping option at checkout, including a select 10% tip, a custom tip amount, or the option to leave no tip.
“New York is a city that tips—and I don’t just mean OG Anunoby’s game winner at the Garden. The data is clear: allowing consumers the clear ability to tip hardworking deliveristas
The report highlights the impact of the Mamdani administration’s efforts to enforce New York City’s Delivery Worker Laws and curb industry practices that reduced delivery workers’ earnings by an estimated $550 million in tips. It also demonstrates that stronger worker protections can increase earnings while maintaining consumer demand for food delivery.
