While one’s worth is not determined by an abundance of possessions, our faith teaches us that all workers deserve a just living. However, for many people in our communities, the way our laws are written are keeping them from enjoying equal pay for equal work. This is especially true for New Yorkers who support themselves and their families doing delivery work — and we stand alongside our lawmakers who are looking to change that.
The Greater Springfield Community Church has been serving members of our Queens community from all different occupations, backgrounds and socioeconomic levels for nearly a century. We have always advocated for the needs of our congregants, so we were encouraged when New York City implemented a minimum pay rate for app-based food delivery workers — many of whom are part of our beloved congregation.
The pay increase was celebrated as a win for workers in Queens and across the city, but unfortunately, we’re seeing that the rule did not go far enough. Equal pay for equal work is not just an economic policy — it is a moral imperative. However, this law excluded an important group of workers, failing to cover grocery delivery workers who are essentially doing the same job.
The minimum pay laws for delivery workers only applies to those bringing meals from restaurants, while excluding workers who choose to deliver on grocery delivery apps. This oversight has created significant frustration and confusion among our congregants who have grown to rely on delivery work to make ends meet for themselves and their families.
It is our obligation as faith leaders to stand up for those in our congregation who are experiencing hardship. So much of the progress we’ve made towards raising wages for communities of color is worth recognizing, but it has left certain groups of workers behind. It’s time for the New York City Council to finish what they started and make the minimum pay rate apply to all delivery workers.
We know that for communities of color, many workers rely on the flexible income from delivery apps. Our congregants view delivery work as an inviting low-barrier earning opportunity for them to pick up extra work and help support their families.
However, because of this grocery loophole, the burden falls on workers and limits their ability to earn a fair wage, defeating the purpose of having these flexible earning opportunities in the first place. Grocery delivery workers shouldn’t have to struggle to afford their own groceries.
Thankfully, there are two proposed bills in the NYC Council, Int 1133 and Int 1135, that would expand the minimum pay rate to cover every single delivery worker regardless of the platform they use. These bills would be life-changing for many of our congregants who rely on this type of work and have been frustrated by this policy. It’s time to put our full support behind the Council and our elected officials need to know how important it is to get these passed.
For delivery workers, it has never been clear about why delivering a meal from a restaurant would be worth a certain amount of money, but delivering groceries from a grocery store is worth less. Scripture tells us that everyone should be treated justly and paid fairly for their labor. In trying times, every opportunity becomes even more valuable, pay should be the same across the board.
It’s our hope that the City Council will take up these bills soon and support the delivery workers in our congregation who work tirelessly to keep our city running by delivering essential groceries to those who need them. We owe these workers more than our gratitude — we owe them justice. It’s simply the right thing to do.
*Rev. Dr. Phil Craig leads the congregation at the Greater Springfield Community Church in Jamaica, Queens.
