The plan was to fix safety on New York City streets. That was the plan.
The reality is a bill designed to force Amazon to hire drivers directly.
City Council Member Tiffany Cabán introduced the Delivery Protection Act in February. Mayor Zohran Mamdani recently endorsed the measure. It would ban companies like Amazon and FedEx from using subcontractors for last-mile delivery.
Last-mile delivery is the final trip to a customer's door. It is already the most expensive part of shipping. This bill would make it cost even more.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is backing the bill. The New York City Central Labor Council supports it too. Under current federal labor law, subcontractors can be unionized. But the contract would not be signed with Amazon itself.
Banning subcontracting forces Amazon to hire drivers as direct employees. This makes them easier to organize. Attorney Alex MacDonald told Reason Magazine this strategy is a larger trend.
He observed that when unions fail to organize via "organic, boots-on-the-ground campaigns," they instead seek legislation that "read like a shortcut to organizing."
The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board notes that federal law blocks independent contractors from unionizing. Banning the subcontracting model is a necessary step for the union to bring drivers into its fold.
Proponents argue this will improve safety. Zohran Mamdani claims the current model causes traffic accidents. He says ending subcontractors would lower turnover and shift liability to Amazon.
If it looks like an Amazon delivery and drives like an Amazon delivery, then it's an Amazon delivery, right? Not according to Amazon.
Big companies like Amazon have built a vast network of subcontractors who deliver their packages while shielding them from accountability.
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— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) August 10, 2026
Amazon says it has spent over $12 billion on safety tech since 2020. The company reports a 48 percent drop in accident rates. This includes new training facilities and camera-equipped vans.
A study commissioned by a New York business group found the bill would raise annual consumer costs by $664. Amazon argues it might move operations out of the city if the law passes.
One study claimed injury rates for subcontractors are 8.3 per 100 workers. The national average for couriers is 8.0. The comparison suggests these workers are in line with industry norms.
The Teamsters are fighting similar battles across the country. In California, the union opposes rules letting distilleries ship directly to consumers. According to a Teamsters lobbyist speaking to CalMatters, they are "absolutely not opposed to the little guys being able to ship directly to consumers"
But the lobbyist added, "We have a track record of supporting the proposal but with meaningful guardrails that protect our members and protect the public."
Those guardrails would force distilleries to hire shipping firms that use Teamsters drivers. The union cites public safety as the reason. Critics say it is just a way to stop nonunion services.
The bill moves forward in the City Council. Amazon says the plan ignores the "private negotiation and the free play of market forces." The city faces a choice between higher prices and more union power.
The Teamsters call the current system a "scheme of overlapping rights, obligations, and zones of self-help." They want that scheme to end.