Mamdani signals union loyalty with new NYC office for rank-and-file workers

• The Mamdani administration is launching an NYC office for labor organizers and workers.
• The office has not yet hired staff or released budget details.
• The announcement builds on recent actions to support gig worker safety and fair wages.

Zohran Mamdani is celebrating Labor Day in a fitting way: Setting up a new city office to work more closely with unions and workers across NYC.

The New York City mayor is launching an Office of Worker Power, which the administration says will be a resource for labor unions and local rank-and-file employees.

The office — which will be led by longtime labor organizer and United Auto Workers alum Tony  Perlstein — will give workers information about their rights, connect union leaders with groups that can help them organize, and hold public hearings on worker issues.

"With the disappearance of good middle-class careers and the replacement with precarious part-time jobs in the gig economy, now is the time for the city government to take a stand on the side of workers," Julie Su, the Deputy Mayor of Economic Justice, said.

Still, details about the office are up in the air. No additional staff members beyond Perlstein have been hired, and the administration did not share budget specifics when asked by reporters.

Mamdani sides with unions, but faces ongoing pressure from business leaders

Boosting government resources for workers has been a central part of Mamdani's affordability agenda. Alongside Sam Levine's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, the mayor has addressed wage violations, backed safety measures for gig workers, and taken legal action against companies like Uber Eats and HungryPanda over issues like unfair wages and junk fees.

The administration says that the Office of Worker Power will build on existing outreach efforts — and Su told Business Insider that its resources will be available to employees regardless of their company size or industry. Mamdani created a similar initiative for street vendors earlier in his term to eliminate red tape and ease halalflation concerns.

The mayor faced recent heat from the business community, with critics worried about his delay in both nominating a business advisory council and naming a head of the Economic Development Corporation. Firms like Amazon have expressed that stricter employment regulations could discourage company investment and job creation in the five boroughs. Small businesses also sued over Mamdani's city-run grocery initiative, which they said will create unsustainable competition.

From Mamdani's perspective, an Office of Worker Power will help level the field for lower- and middle-income residents in America's most expensive city. A new report from NYC Comptroller Mark Levine found that local income inequality is widening: In 2024, over 60% of the city's total income went to the top 10% of earners, and the top 1% alone got 37% of all income in the city.