Mayor Zohran Mamdani has launched the New York City Office of Worker Power, a new City Hall office that lets municipal agencies open labor investigations into wage and safety violations even when no employee has filed a formal complaint. The office is led by Tony Perlstein, a longtime labor organizer, and it marks the most direct step yet by Mamdani's administration to put city government's weight behind organized labor.
The executive order creating the office, signed September 3, directs municipal enforcement agencies to pursue proactive investigations rather than wait for worker-initiated complaints, according to PoliticsNY. That is a structural shift for a city where enforcement agencies have historically relied almost entirely on workers coming forward first. As Business Insider reports, the office will hold public hearings on worker issues, connect union leaders with organizing resources, and give workers information about their rights, though the Mamdani administration has not yet shared budget specifics and has not hired additional staff beyond Perlstein.
An Inter-Agency Hub Built to Break Down Silos
Structurally, the Office of Worker Power is designed as a coordinating body linking city departments — including the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection and the Taxi & Limousine Commission — with labor unions and community worker centers, according to Documented's account of the order. The new office is meant to serve as connective tissue between city agencies, labor unions and community worker centers.
Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su, who was appointed to the newly created post in March, said now is the time for city government to take a stand on the side of workers. The office is intended to make resources available to workers. Su previously served as U.S. Acting Secretary of Labor from 2023 to 2025 and as California Labor Commissioner, a background documented on Wikipedia.
A Union Organizer With Reform Credentials at the Helm
Perlstein brings his own history to the role. Before joining City Hall, he worked on organizing campaigns with the United Farm Workers and Teamsters, and served as secretary-treasurer of ILA Local 1588, where he co-chaired a reform coalition against waterfront corruption in the 2000s, according to InfluenceWatch. He was also appointed to the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City board in April.
The office is part of the Mamdani administration's labor agenda.
The Numbers Behind the Push
The new office arrives amid debate over income inequality and the role of municipal intervention in labor markets.
NYC's overall union density stood at 20.5% in 2026 — more than double the 10% national average — according to the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies' annual State of the Unions report published on CUNY Academic Works. The report said that figure was below levels from two decades ago. The Chief Leader reported that foreign-born naturalized immigrants in the city unionized at a higher rate, 22.3%, than native-born citizens at 21.1%, citing the State of the Unions 2025 report and an 18-month period ending that June, according to The Chief Leader.
Business Pushback and a Balancing Act at City Hall
The rollout has not gone unchallenged. Small businesses have also sued over Mamdani's city-run grocery initiative, arguing it would create unsustainable competition, amid broader pressure from the business community.
That tension has pushed Su into a parallel role as corporate diplomat. Following business backlash over progressive municipal proposals, Su held private outreach meetings with major corporate leaders, including executives from the Real Estate Board of New York, Blackstone and Bank of America, according to City & State New York. The administration has continued pressing ahead with the labor office's proactive enforcement mandate.
The Office of Worker Power adds to the growing list of Mamdani administration initiatives since he took office. For now, the mayor's team frames the new office as a way to level the playing field for lower- and middle-income New Yorkers, while critics in the business community warn it signals a City Hall more aligned with union organizers than employers.
