Opinion: Bill to Overhaul Last-Mile Deliveries Would Hurt Businesses Like Mine

“New York can have a serious conversation about how to improve last-mile delivery. But that conversation has to include the people whose livelihoods are at stake.”

I was the youngest of seven kids growing up in Sunset Park. We didn’t have much, but after moving from Guatemala, my father worked hard at the MTA for 38 years so his children had food on the table and the opportunity to go to school. After decades working around steel dust in the subway system, he passed away from lung cancer in 2016.

Today, I am proud to run a business that hires from my community and creates jobs for New Yorkers who may need the opportunity most.

When I started my delivery company, WGA Transit, I named it after him and his initials. For me, this business has always meant more than delivering packages—it’s about carrying forward what my parents taught me about hard work, and much like they did, creating opportunities for the next generation.

As the Council considers the Delivery Protection Act (Intro 518) and certain supporters make it seem like this is all about Amazon, they need to understand what’s happening in our communities—because if you see this industry from the ground level, you know this debate is really about the stories of New Yorkers and the people I care about who will be hurt.

The real success for my business and my community came when I began working with local community service organizations to hire New Yorkers looking for a stable opportunity. That approach started almost by accident.

I was making deliveries to a local shelter myself. One day, I heard a young man telling his caseworker that he couldn’t find a job. He was worried he would be forced to leave the shelter if he couldn’t find work. I interrupted and asked him what kind of job he was looking for. We did an interview right there on the spot. I took down his information, and his caseworker realized we were a perfect fit for New Yorkers needing a stable opportunity. The case workers passed my information out and we began hiring directly from the shelters. 

One of my employees later told me about STRIVE International in East Harlem, which works with people who have experienced homelessness, incarceration and other barriers to employment and are trying to get back on their feet. I went to them to set up an event, and we hired several people.

Then I hired more.

Eventually, other organizations came to us. We have worked with Henry Street Settlement, Urban Upbound, Interborough Developmental and Consultation Center and other organizations connecting New Yorkers with employment opportunities. Urban Upbound named WGA Transit an “impact partner” after we hired so many great candidates in such a short period of time.

I haven’t needed an online hiring platform in years. Our employees and community partners send people our way because they know what kind of workplace we’ve built.

And these aren’t disposable jobs that can be easily recreated. I have never laid off an employee. Many of the processes we use today were built by the employees themselves because I want them to have ownership and autonomy in how we operate. Most of our employees live in Harlem, and they serve the same Harlem neighborhoods they call home. Our general manager started as a driver and worked her way up, and her daughter joined us at 21 and is now a manager. 

You think if you force Amazon to be the only player in this city, they’re going to put the same level of local care that I do into this community?

That’s what gets lost when City Hall debates legislation like Intro 518. Policymakers hear "last-mile delivery" and may picture a giant corporation. I picture my employees. 

New York can have a serious conversation about how to improve last-mile delivery. But that conversation has to include the people whose livelihoods are at stake.

My father spent his life working so his seven children could have opportunities. Now I have a one-year-old daughter of my own, and I want her to view me the same way—as someone who worked hard to give people the chance at a better life.

We hope Councilmembers will visit businesses like our own and meet the workers behind the legislation. Talk to the person who started as a driver and became a manager. Talk to the person who came through a shelter or workforce organization looking for a second chance. Talk to the New Yorkers who finally found stability and are now helping the next person through the door. 

Don’t destroy something that’s creating opportunity for a better life in your community.

Joe Artus is the founder of WGA Transit LLC.