Dozens of rideshare and delivery workers gathered at Little Bay Park in Bayside on Wednesday, July 9, for a solemn memorial honoring their colleagues who have died while working for app-based companies.
Organized by the Justice for App Workers coalition, the event featured portraits, candles and emotional speeches from coworkers and family members calling for stronger safety protections across the gig economy.
“For every name we read aloud at this memorial, there are families left grieving and coworkers left fearing the same fate,” said Adaligisa Payero, a leader of the Union de Taxistas de New York (UTANY) and member of the coalition. “These deaths were not inevitable; they happened because billion-dollar companies chose profit over safety. We’re here to mourn, but we’re also here to organize and demand action.”
The Justice for App Workers coalition, which represents more than 130,000 drivers and delivery workers nationwide, has been a leading voice advocating for industry reforms. The coalition’s demands include emergency safety tools such as panic buttons and real-time tracking, verified customer identification, permanent bans for customers who harass or assault workers, as well as insurance and survivor benefits for families of workers killed on the job.
Speakers also emphasized the dangers posed by extreme working hours. With drivers often putting in 12-hour days to make ends meet, advocates say fatigue and burnout contribute to unsafe conditions both for workers and for the general public. The coalition is urging tech companies and lawmakers to enact stronger protections to curb the effects of forced overtime and limit shift lengths.
The gig economy has exploded in New York City since Uber launched in 2011, with delivery platforms like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub following close behind. Today, an estimated 150,000 app workers—largely immigrants and people of color—operate in the city, delivering food and packages or transporting passengers around the five boroughs.
But the risks they face have grown alongside the industry. According to a 2023 report, app-based workers are more likely to be injured or killed on the job than many traditional employees. The report highlighted the lack of employer accountability in cases of violence, injury, and even death, issues exacerbated by the workers’ status as independent contractors.
Wednesday’s memorial in Queens follows a series of high-profile incidents in which app workers have been attacked, carjacked, or killed while on the job. In one such case, a delivery worker in East Harlem was fatally shot. In another incident, a Brooklyn Uber driver was shot during an attempted robbery.
Family members of the deceased joined the vigil, some holding back tears as they remembered their loved ones. The display of portraits served as a visual reminder of the human toll behind the technology-powered convenience that millions of New Yorkers rely on every day.
Rideshare and delivery workers are essential to the fabric of the city, but too often they are treated as disposable — that was the message at the July 9 memorial, which served as a powerful reminder that the lives of app workers matter.
