Amazon's delivery battle could hit your pocket hard? What you need to know about Mamdani's new bill

Amazon is now currently in dispute with New York City lawmakers over a new bill that could force the e-commerce giant to directly hire thousands of delivery workers across the city.

If passed, it may significantly increase delivery costs for customers. At the same time it would disrupt Amazon’s current model, which relies on over 40 subcontractors employing around 5,000 drivers using vans and e-bikes.

The bill was reintroduced this year by Tiffany Caban and is set for its first public hearing at City Hall on Thursday.

“This bill lights a ton of dynamite under the delivery industry,” a source close to the development told The Post.

According to a draft of the study by consultancy AKRF that households in New York City may have to pay about $664 more per year for deliveries. “Carriers warn that on-time performance will suffer. Customers may wait longer on average for their orders and it will become harder to meet tight delivery windows like overnight or same day service in many areas.”

The study was commissioned by Five Borough Jobs Campaign.

“We’re committed to creating good jobs, supporting our thousands of employees and local small business partners in New York City, and providing fast, affordable delivery in a safe working environment,” Nantel said.

“As written, this legislation would directly undermine that commitment, threatening the more than 40 Delivery Service Partners we work with in New York City every day and putting the jobs of their more than 5,000 employees at risk,” she added.

The bill is supported by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which has long been trying to organise Amazon warehouse workers but has not yet secured a contract with Amazon. A spokesperson, Matt McQuaid, said, as reported by The Post, the rules would also cover warehouses outside the city if they handle last-mile deliveries into New York City.

Democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin have not yet weighed in on the proposal — although both have come down hard on the food delivery apps.

The mayor’s office did not respond to requests for comment. A spokesman for Menin, a Manhattan Dem, said she is waiting for the “bill to go through the legislative process, to receive input and engagement from stakeholders.”