A New York state judge rejected a bid by Uber Technologies Inc, DoorDash Inc and Grubhub Inc to block New York City’s novel law setting a minimum wage for app-based delivery workers.
The decision by New York Acting Supreme Court Justice Nicholas Moyne will allow the law to take effect pending the outcome of the companies’ lawsuit. Moyne in July had stopped the law from being implemented while he considered the companies’ request to block it until the case is resolved.
The law will require companies to pay delivery workers $17.96 an hour, which will rise to nearly $20 in April 2025. Companies can decide whether to pay workers hourly or per delivery, which would be based on the hours workers log into the app.
Uber, DoorDash, Grubhub Inc and a smaller food delivery service, Relay Delivery Inc, claim the law will force them to shrink service areas to absorb the new labor costs, ultimately hitting customers and restaurants.
Moyne blocked the city from enforcing the law against Relay pending the outcome of the case. The judge said that unlike the other companies, Relay cannot immediately raise the fees it charges to restaurants and needs time to renegotiate its contracts.
Adam Cohen, a lawyer for Relay, in an email said Relay’s couriers earn more than $30 an hour on average.
“Today’s ruling further ensures beloved local restaurants, many of which are also small businesses, will continue to be able to rely on Relay to help them make ends meet,” Cohen said.
A DoorDash spokesperson in a statement said the decision was disappointing for workers, merchants and customers.
“The City’s insistence on forging ahead with such an extreme pay rate will reduce opportunity and increase costs for all New Yorkers,” the spokesperson said.
Spokespersons for Uber and Grubhub also said they were disappointed with the ruling.
City officials, meanwhile, praised the judge’s decision in a press release.