Adams vetos bills guaranteeing minimum pay to grocery delivery workers

Mayor Eric Adams vetoed two bills on Wednesday that would’ve increased pay rates for nearly 20,000 grocery delivery workers.

Adams said setting minimum hourly pay rules for grocery delivery workers would ultimately raise grocery prices at a time when New Yorkers can’t afford it. In an interview with Gothamist, First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro echoed that sentiment.

“This is not a time to raise grocery prices,” Mastro said. “The cost of delivering groceries would go up because the wages of the workers making the deliveries would go up.”

The legislation, passed by a majority of the City Council last month , required third-party grocery app companies like Instacart and Shipt to pay their workers at least $21.44 for every active hour of work.

That rate would match the pay received by re