"Delivery Workers in NYC Still Waiting for Payoff from Tipping Law"
Two weeks into New York City's new tipping law, delivery workers are still struggling to see the benefits it promised them - more straightforward tips and higher earnings.
For Mohammed Riyaj, a 26-year-old delivery worker in Brooklyn who earns his living through apps like Grubhub and DoorDash, the law is proving to be little more than an empty promise. Despite assurances that it would make tipping easier for customers and result in a pay bump, Riyaj's tips have barely increased - leaving him frustrated.
"I need to pay rent, I need to eat something, I need to take care of my family," Riyaj said. "We're talking about people who work multiple hours a day just to get by."
The new law requires app-based delivery companies to make their tipping prompts more visible and offer a 10% or greater tip option. However, two weeks into the rollout, delivery workers and their advocates say the big payout remains elusive.
Ligia Guallpa, executive director of the Workers Justice Project, called the law "a real victory because it does bring the tipping option at checkout, which was something that did not exist." But she also acknowledged that the rollout has been chaotic, leaving many workers confused and suspicious about whether the companies are operating in good faith.
"If you're a deliverista who's not making enough at the end of the day or to cover your day of work," Guallpa said, "you'll be incentivized to work longer hours [and] accept every order."
For DoorDash and Grubhub, which have implemented the new law in accordance with city regulations, customer tips are still a gamble. Customers can leave tips up to 30 days after delivery, leaving workers wondering if they're getting the full amount.
"This is not how it should be," said Najy Kamal, spokesperson for Grubhub. "Tipping your delivery drivers should be easy, not made more difficult."
City officials say they're monitoring the situation and will use enforcement tools to ensure companies comply with the law. But so far, workers like Riyaj are still waiting for the results to hit their pockets.
On a cold day last week, Riyaj picked up and delivered back-to-back orders by bicycle from Shake Shack and Chick-Fil-A in Downtown Brooklyn, earning just 89 cents on a total order of $12. The lack of clarity around tips has left him frustrated.
"Aside from the meager sum, I had no way of determining whether the tip was from one of the two customers or the sum of two gratuities," Riyaj said.
For some workers, like Mamadou Bande, who works for Uber Eats and DoorDash, the difference between earning a tip at checkout or upon delivery can be meaningful. In icy conditions, Bande has to consider whether the pay justifies the considerable effort and risk of making deliveries in New York City.
"We're not asking too much," Bande said. "We're just asking to be paid fairly."
Two weeks into New York City's new tipping law, delivery workers are still struggling to see the benefits it promised them - more straightforward tips and higher earnings.
For Mohammed Riyaj, a 26-year-old delivery worker in Brooklyn who earns his living through apps like Grubhub and DoorDash, the law is proving to be little more than an empty promise. Despite assurances that it would make tipping easier for customers and result in a pay bump, Riyaj's tips have barely increased - leaving him frustrated.
"I need to pay rent, I need to eat something, I need to take care of my family," Riyaj said. "We're talking about people who work multiple hours a day just to get by."
The new law requires app-based delivery companies to make their tipping prompts more visible and offer a 10% or greater tip option. However, two weeks into the rollout, delivery workers and their advocates say the big payout remains elusive.
Ligia Guallpa, executive director of the Workers Justice Project, called the law "a real victory because it does bring the tipping option at checkout, which was something that did not exist." But she also acknowledged that the rollout has been chaotic, leaving many workers confused and suspicious about whether the companies are operating in good faith.
"If you're a deliverista who's not making enough at the end of the day or to cover your day of work," Guallpa said, "you'll be incentivized to work longer hours [and] accept every order."
For DoorDash and Grubhub, which have implemented the new law in accordance with city regulations, customer tips are still a gamble. Customers can leave tips up to 30 days after delivery, leaving workers wondering if they're getting the full amount.
"This is not how it should be," said Najy Kamal, spokesperson for Grubhub. "Tipping your delivery drivers should be easy, not made more difficult."
City officials say they're monitoring the situation and will use enforcement tools to ensure companies comply with the law. But so far, workers like Riyaj are still waiting for the results to hit their pockets.
On a cold day last week, Riyaj picked up and delivered back-to-back orders by bicycle from Shake Shack and Chick-Fil-A in Downtown Brooklyn, earning just 89 cents on a total order of $12. The lack of clarity around tips has left him frustrated.
"Aside from the meager sum, I had no way of determining whether the tip was from one of the two customers or the sum of two gratuities," Riyaj said.
For some workers, like Mamadou Bande, who works for Uber Eats and DoorDash, the difference between earning a tip at checkout or upon delivery can be meaningful. In icy conditions, Bande has to consider whether the pay justifies the considerable effort and risk of making deliveries in New York City.
"We're not asking too much," Bande said. "We're just asking to be paid fairly."
the companies are just not making it easy enough for customers to leave tips and it's leaving workers in the dark. i mean, who wants to spend 30 days wondering if they're getting the full tip?! doorDash and Grubhub need to step up their game and make tipping easier for both customers and delivery workers. this is not a win for anyone involved 
TWO WEEKS IS ALREADY A LONG TIME TO SEE ANY RESULTS, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO EARNINGS. I MEAN, WHO DESERVES TO BE PAID FAIRLY FOR THEIR WORK? DELIVERY WORKERS WHO SPEND HOURS ON THE ROAD, DEALING WITH RAIN OR SNOW, ONLY TO EARN A HANDFUL OF CENTS PER ORDER! IT JUST DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT. AND WHAT'S WITH ALL THE CONFUSION SURROUNDING TIPS? WHY CAN'T WE JUST HAVE CLEAR GUIDELINES FROM THE START? 
It's not fair, these guys are already working multiple hours a day just to make ends meet.
And what's up with the 30-day wait for tips? That's like asking someone if they want dessert... after you've already eaten the whole cake! 
We should be supporting our delivery guys, not leaving them hanging on the tip of it.
. They're already doing a tough job, dealing with bad weather, traffic, and customers who might not even leave tips. Now, the law is supposed to help them, but it's like they're still stuck in limbo 
. It's all about fairness and transparency - if we can't trust that our hard work will be fairly compensated, what's the point? 
. They're not asking for much, just a fair share of the money they earn from their deliveries 
. We can't expect things to change overnight, especially when it comes to big corporations and bureaucracy 
. But with persistence and collective action, we might just get what's owed to us 
.
And what really gets me is that city officials are saying they're monitoring the situation, but it feels like nothing is being done to help these workers out 
Maybe if we had some real-time tracking or reporting, we could get to the bottom of this mess 
Until then, it's just a frustrating experience for delivery workers like Riyaj and Bande 
.
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. I'd rather see some real action from City officials and these companies before we can call this tipping law a success 
. Let's get the money in their pockets, not just promises of more tips! 
. we should've seen this coming, though - it's been a long time since the gig economy workers have gotten a fair shake from these companies. anyway, the lack of clarity around tips is still a major issue here... shouldn't customers be able to leave tips with certainty? and what's up with the 30-day window for tip refunds? some flexibility wouldn't go amiss.
. will these companies start treating their workers like, you know, human beings? or will we still be seeing a lot of exploitation and frustration on the streets?
. It's like, come on guys, make it easy for customers to tip and give workers a decent pay bump already 
It's like they're expecting workers to be super patient while customers are still trying to figure out how to leave tips 
.
. It's not rocket science, folks! Just treat your delivery workers fairly and with respect 
.
.
It's not fair.
. Some people, like Ligia Guallpa from the Workers Justice Project, are calling this a victory because the tipping option is now available at checkout 
. That's what I call a real crisis.
. I mean, come on, 10% or greater tip option sounds great, but if it's not being implemented correctly, what's the point? 
. We need concrete solutions for these workers who are struggling just to make ends meet 
. They deserve better than to be left wondering if their tips will actually count 
. But it's clear that more needs to be done to support these workers 
We need some real change here. I mean, two weeks in and we're still waiting for the results to hit our pockets? It's like, get a move on! 
this tipping law is all about papering companies over their own ineptitude 
️ it's not about "bringing the tipping option at checkout" (like, who even thought that was a good idea?), it's about paying workers a living wage