The New York (USA) union, Los Deliveristas, issued a statement last Friday [March 20, 2026] regarding the death of another delivery worker. The union represents individuals working as delivery workers for platforms throughout New York and has recently achieved significant successes in its fight for improved labor rights. The full statement is published below.
STATEMENT FROM THE WORKER’S JUSTICE PROJECT AND LOS DELIVERISTAS UNIDOS ON THE TRAGIC DEATH OF A DELIVERY WORKER AND THE INJURY OF OTHERS YESTERDAY
The tragic death of an app delivery worker yesterday is a devastating reminder of the dangers deliveristas face every day. We extend our deepest condolences to the worker’s family and loved ones.
Delivery work is among the most hazardous jobs in New York City. One in five workers has been injured on the job, and the occupation has a fatality rate five times higher than construction. Behind these numbers are workers navigating congested streets, unsafe road conditions, and dangerous driving behavior while under constant pressure to move faster themselves.
Deliveristas confront multiple, overlapping risks: traffic collisions, poorly designed streets, limited protected bike infrastructure, air pollution, and frequent theft and assault. As outdoor workers, they are also exposed to extreme heat, severe weather, and wildfire smoke – conditions that often coincide with spikes in demand, increasing both workload and danger.
These risks are intensified by the way app-based delivery is structured. Algorithms dictate routes, timelines, and pay, pushing workers to prioritize speed and volume while penalizing delays. The threat of low ratings or sudden deactivation forces workers into unsafe conditions, turning New York City’s streets into a high-pressure system optimized for rapid delivery, not human safety.
More than 80,000 delivery workers sustain this system every day, yet the companies that depend on their labor continue to deny them basic protections such as paid sick leave, medical coverage, and workers’ compensation – shifting the full cost of injury, recovery, and lost income onto the workers and their families.
Through organizing with Los Deliveristas Unidos, workers have begun to change this reality, winning landmark protections, including just-cause deactivation protections that allow them to prioritize safety without fear of arbitrary deactivation. But much more remains to be done. We need enforceable accountability for app companies, street infrastructure that reflects the realities of delivery work, labor protections that guarantee real support when workers are injured, and a system that no longer treats workers’ lives as expendable in the pursuit of speed and profit.
Delivery workers are essential to New York City. They deserve more than recognition: they deserve real protection, dignity, and accountability from the companies and systems that rely on their labor. We will continue organizing until the companies that profit from this work take responsibility for the lives they put at risk.
Ligia Guallpa, Executive Director
Worker’s Justice Project / Los Deliveristas Unidos
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