PARK SLOPE, Brooklyn (WABC) — Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who pledges to be the mayor of all New Yorkers, included New Yorkers who are on strike.
Mamdani gave support to striking workers at Starbucks, the biggest coffee shop in the country.
The 34-year-old brought along his 84-year-old political colleague, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders.
Senator Bernie Sanders joined mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on a picket line in Park Slope, Brooklyn, marching with striking Starbucks workers to demand better wages and working conditions.
“These are not demands of greed. These are demands for decency. These are workers who are simply being asked to be treated with the respect that they deserve,” Mamdani said.
Starbucks workers walked off their jobs last month in several cities, including New York. They are protesting $18 an hour wages, erratic work hours and unpredictable scheduling.
“Right now we want to fight for fair, consistency. Yeah, obviously a living, working schedule and wage,” one Starbucks worker said.
Starbucks operates roughly 10,000 stores nationwide.
The company claims that several dozen have been impacted by the strike and that the low hourly wages are offset by a generous benefits package, putting total compensation at closer to $30 an hour.
In a separate development, Starbucks has agreed to compensate some of its workers after reaching a settlement with the City of New York over scheduling practices that violated city worker protection laws.
The lawsuit was brought by the Adams Administration after a flood of worker complaints.
On Monday, the company says it’s instituting “bigger rosters, better schedules, and upgrades to our scheduling tools.”
Sanders told reporters that Mamdani’s historic campaign has tapped into something.
“You’re seeing more and more candidates standing up, exactly the same way Zohran did. And they are standing up and saying that we need an economy that works for all,” Sanders said.
Mamdani said he not only attended to support the workers, but to set a tone for the next four years.
He vowed to march on picket lines throughout the city.
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