A first-of-its kind law requiring a minimum wage for app-based delivery workers will take effect after a judge rejected the companies' bid to block it.
Uber, DoorDash and Grubhub won’t be able to get out of paying minimum wage to their New York City delivery workers after all, following a judge’s decision to reject their bid to skirt the city’s new law. The upcoming law, which is still pending due to the companies’ ongoing lawsuit, aims to secure better wage protections for app-based workers. Once the suit settles, third-party delivery providers will have to pay delivery workers a minimum wage of roughly $18 per hour before tips, and keep up with the yearly increases, Reuters reports.
The amount, which will increase April 1 of every year, is slightly higher than the city’s standard minimum wage, taking into account the additional expenses gig workers face. At the moment, food delivery workers make an estimated $7-$11 per hour on average.
In this specific case, I'd unironically agree, though it's more the free market than something that would be specific to capitalism. Users put out offers of "pick up this food for me and I will pay you x", and drivers have the option of taking or leaving any of the offers. If none of them think your order is worth their time, I don't think forcing any of them to do it anyways is the right thing to do.