Applaud Mamdani for New Office of Worker Power

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed an executive order this week creating the Office of Worker Power, a first-in-the-nation agency to help workers unionize. The office will connect employees with resources and organizing contacts and give them a direct channel to shape city labor policy.

Deputy Mayor Julie Su, a former acting U.S. labor secretary, will coordinate the effort, with veteran union organizer Tony Perlstein serving as its first executive director. "When workers can organize, everything changes," Su said at the announcement.

The move builds on other worker-focused wins from the Mamdani administration, including $104 million recovered in stolen tips for delivery workers and a new partnership with the Manhattan DA to crack down on wage theft. It also comes as private-sector union density in the city has fallen to roughly 12.5 percent, even though polling shows most Americans support unions.

The office won't organize unions directly, but it will make sure workers know their rights and have somewhere to turn. As Mamdani put it, the goal is giving workers "a seat at the table before exploitation becomes a crisis."

Add your name to applaud Mayor Mamdani for standing up for workers and giving them real power on the job.