New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani launched the Office of Worker Empowerment to use city government as a tool to help workers organize and strengthen their power to improve their working conditions and quality of life. This office brings together workers, researches working conditions across the city, and connects them with support organizations.
The new governing body will explain to workers what their rights are when they try to organize, identify the sectors where there are greatest obstacles to organizing, and direct them to unions, workplaces, or community organizations that can support them.
Under the direction of trade unionist and community organizer Tony Perlstein, with more than three decades of experience defending labor rights, this body will pay special attention to the most vulnerable workers, including immigrants and undocumented people exposed to labor abuses or who are afraid to report irregularities due to possible immigration consequences.
It was clarified that unions will not be replaced, there will be no direct negotiations with employers and, as already announced, the agency will not have the power to investigate companies or impose sanctions. These responsibilities will remain with the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, said Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su.
“Our job is to support, expand, and coordinate with these organizations, not replace them. The right to organize, to have a safe workplace, and to be protected by New York City labor laws does not depend on immigration status,” emphasized the Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice when announcing the creation of this new city office.
The organization, which will do everything possible to help those who have become more vulnerable as a result of the federal government’s actions, will have alliances with organizations representing construction workers, hotels, home care, restaurants, cafes and delivery platforms, among other sectors with a significant presence of immigrants.
Protect workers in a declining job market
The creation of this office comes amid growing concern about the concentration of income and the loss of jobs that provide economic stability. The Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice cited a recent report from the City Controller’s Office, which states that the real income of 90% of New York City workers has stagnated or declined between 2019 and 2024.
During this same period, the richest 0.1% accounted for more than half of all real income growth in the city. The official warned that wage stagnation not only affects those who receive salaries, but also weakens the entire local economy.
“When wages stagnate and workers have less money in their pockets, there is less money circulating in our economy. That means less money for small businesses and neighborhood grocery stores, less demand for local restaurants and bars, and overall a less dynamic economy,” he explained.
This situation is worsened by the gradual replacement of stable, middle-class jobs with precarious, temporary, or part-time jobs, many of which do not offer health insurance, paid vacation, and retirement security—benefits earned after decades of union organizing. “History demonstrates that worker power is the solution when an economy becomes too pro-class and stops working for the working class,” noted Julie Su.
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
