(NEW YORK CITY) – Long-sought initiatives to protect the job security of Delivery Workers, increasing permits for Street Vendors and expanding the pay and benefits of Construction Workers were some of the measures passed at the City Council’s last session of the year.
The Construction Justice Act that was first introduced in 2023 requires housing developers of certain City-funded projects to pay workers a wage and benefits package of at least $40 per hour, with at least $25 of that package made up of wages.
It would also require these developers to have 30% of the workforce they hire to reside in the City.
The measure was backed by Laborers Local 79 – despite the fact it will mainly benefit Non-Union Construction Workers.
“I’m proud of the work I do and today’s vote shows New York City values my work, too,” said Orlando Rodriguez, a Member of Laborers Local 79. “The Construction Justice Act creates real opportunity for Workers who started like I did – formerly justice-affected and from our City’s poorest neighborhoods, by delivering family-sustaining wages, health care and a true pathway to the Middle Class.”
Three Bills that were part of a larger reform package for the City’s Street Vendors that raise the cap on food and general vendor permits for the first time in over 40 years also passed.
Long championed by the Vendor-Advocacy Organization the Street Vendor Project, one of the three Bills make 2,200 additional supervisory license applications available to vendors each of the next five years – along with 10,500 general vending licenses in 2027.
The two other Bills in the package authorize the City to issue those licenses until the new cap is reached and creates a Division of Street Vendor Assistance within the Department of Small Business Services to assist Street Vendors.
To Continue Reading This Labor News Report, Go To: Council passes numerous worker protection measures in final session – The Chief