Amazon has quietly poured $5,001,377 into a New York political operation dressed up as a small-business coalition, its largest disclosed New York state lobbying spend ever. The target: a New York City Council bill that would force Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN | AMZN Price Prediction) to directly employ the drivers who wear its uniform and drive its vans. Amazon does not directly employ its 200,000+ U.S. drivers; DSPs do, while workers wear Amazon-branded uniforms and drive Amazon-branded vans. New York Delivers did not list Amazon as a member as of May 19, 2026, despite Amazon having already routed at least $1.9 million through it. NYC delivery workers start around $20/hour; Amazon says its average is closer to $24/hour; a Teamsters deal with an Amazon contractor in California set pay near $30/hour.