New DCWP commissioner vows to hold DoorDash, Instacart accountable for worker misclassification
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani appointed Sam Levine, former Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Consumer Protection director, to lead the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. The appointment signals aggressive enforcement against delivery platforms that have dominated food delivery since 2020 while offering few protections to 80,000 predominantly immigrant workers.
A Labor Advocate Takes Command
Levine declared that his life’s work has been ensuring money and power cannot trample worker rights and dignity. “Gone are the days when companies like Instacart and DoorDash can bully their way into record profits on the backs of workers and consumers,” he stated, signaling ideological commitment sharply diverging from the Adams administration’s cautious regulatory approach.
The Misclassification Crisis
Delivery workers face dangerous conditions and widespread misclassification as independent contractors, stripping them of minimum wage protections, workers compensation, and unemployment insurance. This legal distinction determines whether workers receive any benefits whatsoever.
Enforcing Existing Laws
The city has already passed multiple delivery worker protection laws, but the Adams administration failed to adequately fund enforcement. Mamdani pledged to double DCWP’s budget, indicating his administration will resource enforcement agencies to hold companies accountable.
The Delivery App Lobby Prepares
Delivery companies spent heavily on NYC political races, working to influence how regulations would be written. Levine’s appointment suggests this lobbying will face a commissioner committed to interpreting laws in workers’ favor rather than seeking company compromise.
What Levine Can Accomplish
As DCWP commissioner, Levine can use rule-making authority to change how the delivery worker minimum pay standard operates, expand how workers file complaints, and ensure 311 resources are available to handle worker grievances. The delivery industry’s dominance of NYC streets and its impact on worker safety makes this portfolio potentially one of the most consequential in city government. Read labor standards at U.S. Department of Labor. Explore worker rights at NYC Department of Consumer Affairs. Learn about gig economy at Economic Policy Institute. Research FTC at Federal Trade Commission.
