After the city and Starbucks agreed to a $38 million labor settlement Monday, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani promised he won’t stop backing causes favoring workers’ rights once he’s in charge of City Hall.

But Mamdani wouldn’t say whether he supports another set of workers — City Council members and their push to give themselves and Mamdani a pay raise.

What You Need To Know

After the city and Starbucks agreed to a $38 million labor settlement Monday, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani promised he won’t stop backing causes favoring workers’ rights once he’s in charge of City Hall

However, after campaigning on a platform to make New Yorker’s lives more affordable, Mamdani could sign off on giving himself, the Public Advocate, city comptroller and all 51 members of the City Council a pay raise

Asked if he worries about the optics should he sign the legislation — especially in light of the city’s multi-billion-dollar budget gaps — if it passes the council, Mamdani would not take a stand on the proposal

The mayor-elect and one of his political icons, Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, joined protesters outside a Park Slope Starbucks alleging unfair labor standards.

“These are not demands of greed. These are demands for decency,” Mamdani said.

The city’s landmark settlement with Starbucks favors claims from workers across the city’s hundreds of Starbucks alleging the multi-billion corporation routinely violated fair labor laws, such as constant schedule changes, inadequate payment and the inability to decline extra shifts. 

“These are workers who are simply being asked to be treated with the respect that they deserve,” the mayor-elect said.

During his tenure as a state assemblyman in Albany, Mamdani was no stranger to protests. Recently, Mamdani’s top staff joined another Starbucks picket line.

“When I become the mayor of this city, I’m going to continue to stand on picket lines with workers across the five boroughs,” Mamdani said when asked whether he will abandon protests once he’s heading City Hall.

After campaigning on a platform to make New Yorker’s lives more affordable, Mamdani could sign off on giving himself, the Public Advocate, city comptroller and all 51 members of the City Council a pay raise.

Asked if he worries about the optics should he sign the legislation — especially in light of the city’s multi-billion-dollar budget gaps — if it passes the council, Mamdani would not take a stand on the proposal.

“I’m not worried about the hypotheticals at this time. What I can tell you is that every single day from now until I become the mayor and then after that is going to be focused on how we can improve the working conditions across this city,” he said.

Currently, Mayor Eric Adams makes about $258,000, but if approved, Mamdani’s new salary could spike to almost $300,000.

That’s more than Gov. Kathy Hochul, who rakes in $250,000 annually as the highest paid governor in the nation. However, it’s less than the $400,000 annual paycheck collected by the president.

“There [haven’t] been any adjustments in the pay rate since 2016,” said Brooklyn Democratic City Councilwoman Alexa Aviles, who also stands to benefit from the pay hike.

“People will side-eye that for a little bit and that is a normal response, but I think what’s important to note is that we are having all the fights,” she added.