The administration of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani filed a lawsuit on Thursday against the delivery management app Motoclick, accusing it of stealing from delivery workers and charging illegal fees. The lawsuit was filed by the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) in the state Supreme Court for "flagrantly violating" the Delivery Worker Protection Laws. The department, led by Commissioner Samuel Levine, estimates that Motoclick and its CEO Juan Pablo Salinas Salek owe workers millions in stolen wages and damages, and is therefore seeking to shut down the company completely. "Motoclick and its CEO deceived New Yorkers into working for their platform with false promises and then stole their tips and earnings, sometimes even driving workers into debt," stated the commissioner. He also warned other apps that "if they cheat their workers, we will hold them and their executives accountable." Levine also sent a reminder to Instacart, DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber and other apps, urging them to adhere to the new Delivery Worker Protection Laws that take effect on January 26. These actions come as Commissioner Levine intensifies efforts to combat delivery apps, reverse worker losses through aggressive enforcement of the laws, and hold companies and individuals accountable for scamming delivery workers, who are mostly immigrants. "Delivery workers make the daily lives of millions of New Yorkers easier. Today is the end of a chapter of ungrateful exploitation," said Mayor Mamdani. "Our Department of Consumer and Worker Protection is taking strong action against everything from unfounded law violations to deceptive tricks that harm our delivery workers," he added. In turn, Ligia Guallpa, executive director of the Justice for Workers project and co-founder of the Los Deliveristas Unidos campaign, welcomed the legal action and Levine's decision to support the 80,000 app delivery workers who "are essential to the city's economy and key partners in enforcing the laws that protect all workers."
