SERVING JAMAICA QUEENS AND IT'S SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS
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Delivery Workers Cheer Restroom Access and Tip Transparency Alongside AOC and Chuck Schumer
Gabriel Lopez, who has been making a living as a food delivery worker for over 18 months, braved the elements in Midtown, Jan. 21, 2022. Hiram Alejandro Durán/ THE CITY
Starting Sept. 24, New York City’s app-based food delivery workers are entitled to increased clarity on their daily earnings and tips, and the right to use most restaurant bathrooms, as new laws begin their rollout.
The Deliveristas celebrated the new protections Sunday afternoon with a rally in Times Square, flanked by allies including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-The Bronx/Queens) and Sen. Chuck Schumer, who has advocated for federal funds to create rest stops for the workers and other supports.
Also joining were city Comptroller Brad Lander and Councilmembers Carlina Rivera (D-Manhattan) and Justin Brannan (D-Brooklyn), among the lawmakers who introduced the Council bills.
The rally drew dozens of Deliveristas, many of whom hail from Indigenous communities from Mexico and Guatemala. Workers from Bangladesh and Mali also participated.
“We’re going to see big, big changes with these laws,” upper Manhattan delivery worker Manny Ramírez, 34, told THE CITY on Friday. “The discrepancy between what the client thinks we get paid and what the apps actually pay was immense — but now there is more awareness, and we felt like we’d won with that alone.”
“We feel like winners,” said Ernesta Galvez, 40, who works for the Relay app and is one of the few women among the Deliveristas. “It’s emotional to think about how far we’ve come.”
Ocasio-Cortez said in a phone interview on Sunday that the local gains for delivery workers send important signals nationally.
“What we’re seeing with the Deliveristas and the working class in New York, particularly tech workers, is such a strong counterpoint to what we’ve seen in California,” she said, noting that state’s ban on gig workers being recognized as full time employees.
Dr. Peter Bonadie, the chief executive officer of Kingdom Life Ministries International in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, says that the current war between Israel and Hamas is “a very deep spiritual problem and cannot be resolved by the United Nations or international opinions or sanctions.”
The NYPD has identified the headless man who was found floating in Jamaica Bay off Howard Beach on Friday night as 46-year-old Lukasz Mikolajewicz of Dumont Avenue in Ozone Park, after his family was notified.
Sources familiar with the investigation told QNS that the deceased became decapitated while committing suicide by hanging himself from the Joseph P. Addabbo Memorial Bridge on Friday night.
Hundreds of people packed the Claire Shulman Theater in Corona on Apr. 12, as they waited in anticipation for Queens Borough President Donovan Richards’ “State of the Borough” address.
Prepare to be amazed by the talent of two exceptional Queens youth who are all set to grace the stage in TADA! Youth Theater’s “Common Ground” from Apr. 20 through May 11.
A Jamaica man was sentenced to five years in federal prison on Monday for his role in a wide-ranging bank fraud and money laundering conspiracy, which resulted in the misappropriation of approximately $4.5 million in victims funds.
Chinwendu Alisigwe, 38, was previously convicted following a trial in Manhattan federal court. According to the indictment and evidence offered at trial, from 2017 to 2020, Alisigwe used fake identifications to open 36 separate bank accounts at six different financial institutions, which he opened with more than a dozen fraudulent passports and other bogus identity documents bearing his photograph, but the names of other individuals.
The number of new leases of residential units nearly doubled to the highest on record from March 2023 to March 2024, according to a report by the real estate agency Douglas Elliman. During the same period of time, the median rental price for units in northwestern Queens decreased slightly.
Thousands of New York City Football Club (NYCFC) fans packed Citi Field on Saturday, Apr. 6, for the team’s first home game in Queens this season, playing against Atlanta United FC. This match marked the beginning of a series of five straight home games, equaling the club’s all-time record for consecutive home matches.
Detectives from the 107th Precinct in Fresh Meadows apprehended the teenager in front of his residence on 89th Avenue in Jamaica following a four-day manhunt. The incident occurred as Irene Tahliambouris was on her way to morning mass on April 7.
On Thursday, Apr. 11, the Senate approved legislation that significantly enhances protections for pets and animals, coinciding with Animal Cruelty Prevention Month. The bill now awaits Governor Kathy Hochul’s signature.