Happy May Day, or International Workers' Day, New Yorkers!

There's nothing more powerful than when workers organize together to win higher wages, safer workplaces, and better working conditions. Worker organizing has been at the heart of political and policy change in NYC for hundreds of years.

From garment workers organizing after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory disaster, to MTA workers striking for higher wages in 1980, to immigrant rights organizations and the labor movement reclaiming May Day in 2010, to workers across the labor movement fighting for better contracts in 2023 (like autoworkers, health care workers, writers, actors, building service workers, retail workers, and so many more), New Yorkers have demonstrated the power of collective action for generations.

In fact, the earliest recorded strike dates back to 1768, when New York journeymen tailors protested a reduction in wages!

My office is committed to defending workers’ rights using all the tools in our toolbox. On International Workers’ Day, I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished to move the needle on labor:

• Helped launch a new Labor Rights Investors Network alongside Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su. Making sure workers’ rights are respected in our private equity investments is good for returns, and good for a thriving economy.

• Won support for a proposal on behalf of NYC pension funds calling on Starbucks to report on how well it is respecting workers’ rights.

• Organized our first Workers' Rights Convening alongside the New York City Central Labor Council, which brought together stakeholders across the labor movement to strategize and organize.

• Stood with workers on the picket line time and time again — from Fordham University students fighting for workplace rights, to 32BJ SEIU security officers demanding fair wages.

• Returned $8 million in stolen wages to New York City construction, building service, and clerical workers since 2022, including a recent $2.7 million settlement for contracted workers at hospitals across the city who were cheated out of their hard-earned wages.

• Secured agreements with the boards of Apple and Walmart to disclose information on their adherence to workers’ rights.

• Fought alongside food app delivery workers to deliver the minimum pay protections these essential workers deserve.

Here at the Office of the Comptroller, our Workers’ Rights Team oversees the enforcement of prevailing and living wage laws; works to expand workers’ rights through legislative, policy, procurement, and corporate shareholder engagement initiatives; and strengthens the office’s outreach strategies to educate New Yorkers on their labor rights. Learn more about the Workers’ Rights Team.

Every day, workers across this city are organizing and building power for themselves and their communities, making our city a more equitable, flourishing place. When workers fight, workers win.

In solidarity,

Brad