City Council overrides Adams vetoes for street vending, grocery-delivery pay and protections

The New York City Council overrode Mayor Eric Adams’ vetoes of three bills affecting street vendors and grocery delivery workers, voting on Sept. 10 to enact Intro 47b, Intro 11‑33a and Intro 11‑35a.

Intro 47b, which removes misdemeanor criminal penalties for unlicensed general and mobile food vendors while leaving civil violations and fines in place, passed by a vote of 35 in favor, 9 opposed and 3 abstentions. Intro 11‑33a, which extends certain workplace protections to contracted grocery delivery workers, passed 40–7–0. Intro 11‑35a, which would set a minimum pay rate for grocery delivery workers (sponsored as a $21/hour proposal in debate), passed 39–8–0.

City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams framed the votes as part of the council’s work to protect immigrant workers and low‑wage labor. Council Member Sandy Nurse, sponsor of Intro 11‑35a, said, “I’m proud to be here overriding his veto of my bill Intro 11‑35. Intro 11‑35 is simple,” and urged colleagues to vote yes. Council Member Jennifer Gutierrez, sponsor of Intro 12‑38 (part of a separate Rikers package), as well as other delivery and vending sponsors, described the measures as protections for immigrant workers and an attempt to reduce harmful interactions with law enforcement.

Opponents — including members who represent commercial corridors where merchants said street vending had created conflicts — argued that removing criminal penalties would worsen vendor saturation and hurt small businesses. Several speakers called for a broader, enforceable licensing and enforcement package to accompany decriminalization. Council Member Joann Ariola and others said they supported some reforms but opposed overriding the veto on certain bills.

The council conducted a roll call vote on the veto overrides. The clerk reported the tallies in the record: Intro 47b — 35 in the affirmative, 9 in the negative, 3 abstentions; Intro 11‑33a — 40 in the affirmative, 7 in the negative, 0 abstentions; Intro 11‑35a — 39 in the affirmative, 8 in the negative, 0 abstentions. The council’s two‑thirds threshold for an override was met for each bill.

What the bills do and what remains: Intro 47b removes misdemeanor criminal penalties for unlicensed vending but keeps civil enforcement options and fines. Sponsors said other bills on the council’s agenda aim to expand licensing and strengthen civil enforcement; those complementary measures remained under deliberation. Intro 11‑33a directs study and parity of certain workplace protections for contracted grocery delivery workers; Intro 11‑35a establishes a minimum pay rate mechanism for grocery delivery workers, framed by sponsors in debate as aimed at roughly $21 per hour for about 20,000 workers, a figure discussed repeatedly in the chamber.

The overrides set the measures to become law despite the mayor’s objections; the mayor’s office had argued the bills would harm small businesses or conflict with administration policy. Council leaders said the action reflects the council’s authority to act on behalf of workers and immigrant New Yorkers.

Votes at a glance: Intro 47b (vending decriminalization) — outcome: approved (override); vote: 35–9–3. Intro 11‑33a (grocery delivery protections) — approved (override); vote: 40–7–0. Intro 11‑35a (grocery delivery minimum pay) — approved (override); vote: 39–8–0.

The council’s overrides follow months of committee hearings and negotiations and do not, by themselves, finalize implementation details such as exact pay formulas, enforcement protocols, or licensing rollouts. Sponsors and committee chairs said staff and agencies will work to produce regulations and implementation plans and that additional legislation and administrative guidance may follow.

The council moved on to other items after the roll call; implementation steps and any litigation or mayoral responses were not recorded in the stated meeting transcript.