Overview
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed an executive order that took effect immediately and formally announced the Mayor’s Office of Worker Power on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7, with the signing occurring on Thursday, Sept. 3.
- Tony Perlstein, a longtime labor organizer, was named the office’s first director and will report to Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su.
- The order directs the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, the Taxi and Limousine Commission, and the Commission on Human Rights to develop procedures for proactive, complaint‑independent investigations that can broaden probes to companywide unlawful practices and seek pay relief for all affected workers.
- The office itself will not have independent enforcement power and will act as a connector that educates workers, links them to unions and worker centers, holds public hearings, and coordinates research and policy work with other city agencies.
- Key implementation details remain unresolved: City Hall has not released a budget or staffing plan, the role for public‑sector employees is unsettled, and the initiative draws on grassroots models such as the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee while prompting concern from business groups about its impact on employers.