Dozens of delivery workers and their supporters gathered in Lower Manhattan on Wednesday to protest Grubhub’s decision to fire 50 delivery workers and deactivate their accounts.
The protest took place outside the headquarters of Wonder, Grubhub’s parent company, with a crowd that included app-delivery workers, elected officials, and immigrant rights activists.
The demonstrators demanded answers regarding their account deactivations and insisted that their accounts be reinstated immediately.
Mamun Hossen, one of the fired delivery workers, expressed his frustration, stating, “I’ve worked hard for Grubhub for years. I’ve done nothing wrong other than work reliably for this company. I do not deserve to be deactivated like this.”
Grubhub, a prominent mobile food ordering and delivery platform, faces competition from other popular services such as Uber Eats and DoorDash.
According to Luis Cortes, a director at Los Deliveristas Unidos—an organization representing New York City’s 65,000 app-based delivery workers—Grubhub’s recent actions were unjust.
He described the mass deactivation as a demonstration of the company’s disregard for its workers, saying, “It’s ruthless and unjust to just throw workers away like this – and lie about the reasons for it.”
Cortes highlighted that these workers had been waiting for two weeks for a clear response from the company but received nothing.
In response to the outcry, a spokesperson for Grubhub emphasized that account deactivations are not taken lightly.
The company claimed that many of the deactivated accounts were either duplicates or being shared between multiple individuals, both of which violate safety policies and the delivery partner agreement.
The spokesperson encouraged workers to appeal their deactivations if they believe the decisions were made in error.
“We met with the Deliveristas leadership to discuss working together to address the accounts that they believe were deactivated in error,” the spokesperson added, ensuring that delivery partners in good standing could still operate.
This situation occurs amidst broader discussions around e-bike regulations, following Mayor Eric Adams’ June 5 proposal to lower the speed limit for e-bikes in a bid to enhance safety on city streets.
Adams mentioned, “I have heard, over and over again, from New Yorkers about how their safety and the safety of their children have been put at risk due to speeding e-bikes and e-scooters, and today, our administration is saying enough is enough.”
The proposed speed limit would reduce e-bike speeds to a maximum of 15 mph from previous limits of 20 or 25 mph.
Cortes reiterated the significant impact of the deactivations on workers’ livelihoods, noting that many of them relied on their Grubhub positions as their sole income.
“Workers deserve better treatment than this after years of service,” he asserted. “This is an injustice that also affects hundreds of family members who depend on this income. It leaves those families increasingly vulnerable, with their futures hanging in the balance.”
At the rally, City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander also spoke out.
He recounted his recent arrest and release by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents while defending migrants in immigration court.
“I feel very fortunate to have been able last night to go home and sleep in my bed and be with my family and talk to my lawyer,” Lander said, calling for a mayor who stands up for workers’ rights.
“That’s what I was doing yesterday. That’s what I’m doing today.”
image source from：amny
