Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg signed a City Council bill that requires businesses with bicycle delivery workers to improve its bicycle safety measures into law. Read all about bill 24-A, which requires businesses to supply helmets, to make sure the delivery guys wear them, and to make sure the bikes are safe, as well as 58-A, which requires signs about bicycle safety and laws to posted in English, Spanish or whichever language is spoken at the business, here. City Councilman Alan Gerson initiated the bill in the fall of 2004 (why it took so long is unclear) and Mayor Bloomberg said about the legislation:
In addition to enhancing the safety of pedestrians traversing the City’s streets, these bills will help protect our City’s hard-working delivery personnel, many of whom are immigrants who speak a language other than English. Immigrants form the backbone of our City’s workforce and have helped re-energize our economy, and this bill will ensure that they are given additional protection.
Both the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Latino Restaurant Association support stronger bicycle safety measures.
And on the other side, another restaurant is being targeted for paying its employees sub-minimum wages. Per Eater, advocacy group Justice Will Be Served and a law firm filed a lawsuit against the Lincoln Center Ollie's on behalf of delivery workers. Much like the lawsuit filed against the Saigon Grill chain, the lawsuit alleges a number of labor violations, including paying workers as little as $1.40/hour. Justice Will Be Served says more lawsuits will be coming in the next few months "from Chinatown to midtown and uptown Manhattan restaurants."
Photograph by billadler on Flickr
