Zohran Mamdani (Getty Images)
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wants to make it easier for private-sector workers to organize.
In honor of Labor Day, Mamdani signed an executive order creating the Mayor’s Office of Worker Power, which he said would allow for more resources for workers while clamping down on abusive employers.
“The Mayor’s Office of Worker Power will make sure workers have a seat at the table before exploitation becomes a crisis and violations become routine,” Mamdani said in a statement.
“We’re connecting workers to their rights, to each other and to the organizations ready to stand with them,” he added.
The office will be led by Tony Perlstein, who was previously organizing director with the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, Politico reported.
Perlstein, a former longshoreman, said he hopes his office will help workers get better compensation and working conditions.
“The city is a place where there are lots of very wealthy employers and corporations that could afford to pay their workers more,” Perlstein told reporters. “And we are looking to help those workers stand up and speak up.”
The office will hold hearings to gather information about working conditions throughout the city and will provide information on workers’ rights and help connect workers with organizations to assist in unionizing.
The office will not be directly involved in having workers organize, Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su said.
Su and Pearlstein told reporters a better-compensated workforce could help boost the New York economy.
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