Published
October 27, 2026
When New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the creation of a New York City Office of Worker Power, he did so looking for an innovative effort to support workers by expanding their voice in shaping economic policy. There are only two problems: this is neither new nor an innovative good idea.
With this move, City Hall is moving from neutral regulator to an active participant in labor-management issues. Businesses need predictable rules and impartial enforcement. Workers deserve the freedom to make their own decisions about whether and how to organize, without government putting its thumb on the scale.
The New York City Office of Worker Power’s stated mission emphasizes outreach, policy development, stakeholder engagement, hearings, and partnerships with worker organizations. Those activities may expand engagement, but they do little to address the everyday challenges workplaces face and to which workers have been seeking remedies: unclear rules, delays, inconsistent enforcement, and slow dispute resolution.
The mayor’s office is operating under the misguided impression that New Yorkers lack opportunities to unionize. This is wrong for at least two reasons: first, New York City is already heavily unionized. About 20 percent of private sector employees are union members, double the national average. And while recent polling shows that many employees view unions favorably, favorable views do not necessarily translate into a desire to join one.
Those choices belong to workers themselves, not City Hall.
When government moves from enforcing the rules to advocating for one side of the labor-management relationship, it risks eroding the impartiality and predictability that workers and employers depend on.
New York would be better served by an administration focused on clear rules, fair enforcement, and an environment where workers and businesses can succeed.
And if it seems like this idea isn’t such a new one, that’s also correct. A similar program was set up during the Biden Administration at the Department of Labor—attempting to put their thumb on the scale to help workers unionize, instead of acting as a fair and impartial arbitrator. The architect of the program was Juli Su, who was acting Secretary of Labor during the final two years of President Biden’s term. And now? She’s Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice for Mayor Mamdani.
This bad idea, which thankfully ended when the Biden Administration is over, has migrated its way up 95 north. It was a bad idea in Washington, and it's a bad idea in the Big Apple too.
About the authors
Marc Freedman
Marc Freedman is vice president of workplace policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He develops and advocates the Chamber’s response to OSHA matters; FLSA issues such as overtime, minimum wage, and independent contractors; paid leave issues; EEOC, and other labor and workplace issues.
Michael Billet
Michael Billet, director of policy research for Employment Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, keeps members and internal Chamber policy staff abreast of pending labor, immigration, and health care legislation, as well as federal regulatory and subregulatory activities. He is also responsible for planning the Chamber’s annual workplace and community wellness forum.
