Delivery workers pounced on news that an Andrew Cuomo-linked super PAC received a record-setting seven-figure donation from DoorDash, calling it more evidence that the disgraced former governor is on the wrong side of the epic David-and-Goliath battle between the workers and their corporate overlords.
Advocates brought together by Cuomo’s mayoral opponent Brad Lander slammed the Cuomo campaign's style of raising money, calling it clear an unabashed corruption.
“The Andrew Cuomo that we know is a person who always took the side of Goliath, every step of the way,” said Ana María Archila, co-chair of the Working Families Party, which has endorsed a slate of candidates including Lander. "He is always with the people that have more, with the corporations that have money, with the billionaires that can buy an election. And that is exactly what he is doing right now: Choosing the side of DoorDash against the side of the workers."
The political action committee Fix The City has raised $8.7 million to elect Cuomo as mayor. The $1-million donation from DoorDash was the largest donation to the PAC, followed by conservative hedge fund manager (and Harvard scold) Bill Ackman's $250,000 donation.
The donation came in just before the Cuomo campaign was fined more than $600,000 for suspected coordination with Fix The City. A representative for the PAC told Streetsblog that it is fully independent from the candidate it supports.
“The work undertaken by Fix the City, a fully independent expenditure committee, has taken place lawfully and without the insight or influence of any prohibited outside entities,” said Liz Benjamin, the PAC’s media representative.
Still, DoorDash is no stranger to the city’s political landscape. When the Council was gearing up to pass the bill that became the city’s landmark minimum pay standard for app-based restaurant delivery workers, DoorDash and the other app companies took legal action against the city.
“DoorDash, Seamless, Uber, they sued, DoorDash went into court. They lobbied City Hall to try to undermine [the minimum wage law],” said Lander. “Now deliveristas in this city, they earn a living wage. You know who wants to change that? DoorDash, and apparently Andrew Cuomo.”
But DoorDash told Streetsblog that the company is not advocating for a repeal of the minimum wage law, and reiterated that the donation was to help elect a candidate who will boost the economy.
"The claim that we are advocating for a repeal of the city’s minimum pay law is patently false. In fact, we’ve consistently advocated for the law to extend to all app-based delivery workers. As we’ve made clear, our contribution to Fix the City is about helping elect a candidate who will take on the issues holding back New York City’s local economy," said John Horton, Head of North America Public Policy.
Fix the City also pushed back on Lander’s claims of corruption, citing the state's $15 minimum age, paid family leave, and strict gun laws as evidence that he could be trusted by workers.
But delivery workers who organize for labor protections worry about this large donation because of DoorDash’s track record exploiting workers and lobbying against protections.
An investigation by Attorney General Letitia James found DoorDash guilty of wage theft by stealing worker tips and using them to offset the base pay it already promised. In February, DoorDash was ordered to pay $16.75 million in restitution. And delivery workers say the company is still stealing their money.
Los Deliveristas Unidos, which fought for the minimum wage, protested last month in front of DoorDash headquarters against account deactivations, which they say come before final payments are issued, and the lack of transparent payment and tipping within the app.
Because of this, the donation to Cuomo’s campaign is especially troubling for workers.
“We are scared. Our fight is against DoorDash. The company steals our wages, discriminates against our workers. They don’t pay the immigrant workers, they deactivate our accounts,” Antonio Solis, a leader with Los Deliveristas Unidos, said in Spanish. “At the end of the day, we need a mayor who represents us, who defends us against the multi-million dollar companies who do whatever they want with workers.”
Following the playbook
DoorDash said it is not actively trying to repeal the minimum wage protections, but its actions are a part of a well-documented playbook to influence politics at all levels in order to protect their profits and keep workers from getting benefits that cost the companies money.
DoorDash, along with Uber, Lyft and Instacart, pour money into the lobbying group Flex, which spends millions on promoting “scheduling flexibility.” This year, the group backed President Trump's selection of Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Labor Secretary. She ended up getting confirmed.
Flex has also fought against at the PRO Act, federal legislation that would ensure many workers currently classified as independent contractors have the right to collectively bargain under the National Labor Relations Act.
DoorDash also has funded “Astro-turf” groups meant to pull focus from organizations like Los Deliveristas Unidos that are actually “grass-roots.” In Massachusetts, Uber, Lyft, Instacart, and DoorDash funded the Massachusetts Coalition for Independent Work, which is represented by driver spokespeople and opposes proposals to allow drivers in the state to organize unions or be classified as employees. And in New York, DoorDash has been aligned with "Flexible Work For New York," which works to ensure that costs for the companies remained low under the guise of promoting independent work.
The tactics are a part of a clear playbook from app companies to influence policy. The 2024 report, "The Bully's Playbook: How App Corporations Hold Back Worker Organizing and Harm Democracy," put out by PowerSwitch Action with the National Employment Law Project, put DoorDash's actions into context.
The promises
The city’s estimated 80,000 delivery workers are becoming a major talking point in the mayoral election. The workers, who mostly get around using e-bikes and mopeds, delivering meals, groceries, and a growing list of other goods in all weather, have become both scapegoats for politicians who want to play into the “chaotic” nature of the city’s streets even as they are trotted out as heroes by other pols.
Cuomo’s plan for public safety blames e-bike chaos on “structural problems in the food delivery business” and advocates for making app-companies "financially responsible for any damages caused by riders making deliveries on their behalf." He also supports requiring e-bikes to be licensed and registered with the DMV.
Lander has released a comprehensive plan to rein in the app companies during his time as the city Comptroller. The plan calls for "cutting off the supply of unsafe and illegal vehicles, establishing a city-administered licensing program for app-delivery companies, and enhancing accountability for riders who violate traffic laws through more predictable, consistent enforcement."
