NYC Releases Workers’ Bill Of Rights: Your Labor Rights Guide

Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga today released the City’s newly expanded, landmark Workers’ Bill of Rights.

A multilingual and comprehensive guide to rights in the workplace in New York City, which was created in collaboration with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) and the New York City Commission on Human Rights (CCHR). This new version of the Workers’ Bill of Rights summarizes additional city laws, and now also includes state and federal laws that protect workers and job applicants in New York City, regardless of immigration status.

“Ensuring that all New Yorkers, especially immigrants who come here in search of new opportunities, are aware of their rights is essential to maintaining an inclusive workforce,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer. “Thank you to DCWP, MOIA, and CCHR for collaborating on the newly expanded Workers’ Bill of Rights and promoting crucial workplace protections.” 

“New York City is a working people’s city and at DCWP, we do all we can to support workers and their families to help them thrive and set them on the path to success,” said DCWP Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga. “A key piece of protecting workers is ensuring they are aware of their rights, especially if they are new to our city. This newly expanded, comprehensive Workers’ Bill of Rights, and our collaboration with our sister agencies, will help workers around the city learn about their rights and where they can reach out to for help.”

“Immigrant workers are essential to our local economy and the fabric of the city of New York,” said MOIA Commissioner Manuel Castro. “We are proud to work with DCWP on the new comprehensive Workers’ Bill of Rights. We look forward to ensuring all immigrant New Yorkers are empowered with this information and learn more about where they can get help.”

“Education is essential to preventing discrimination. Notifying workers of their rights not only signals that New York City has their back, but also informs them of avenues of recourse if their rights have been violated,” said CCHR Commissioner and Chair Annabel Palma. “At the Commission, we aim to ensure that workplaces foster an environment in which everyone can thrive. The Worker’s Bill of Rights will help cultivate a culture of respect and dignity in our city.”

By July 1, 2024, all employers in New York City must post the required multilingual “Your Rights at Work” poster where employees can easily see it and give a copy to each employee. Employers must also post it to their intranet or mobile app if they offer one for employees to use. DCWP, MOIA and CCHR will be conducting outreach to workers about their rights and to employers about their responsibilities under the new law.

The Workers’ Bill of Rights includes information on rights enforced by DCWP, like Paid Safe and Sick Leave, the Temporary Schedule Change Law, Fair Workweek Law and the city’s Delivery Worker Laws, as well as rights enforced by other state and federal agencies, like minimum wage and the right to organize. It also includes information about who to contact for more information or with questions, as well as how to file a complaint.

New Yorkers can visit nyc.gov/workers or contact 311 to download or request the “Your Rights at Work” Poster. If their employer does not make the Poster available or they have questions about their rights, workers can ask a question or file a complaint starting July 1 online at nyc.gov/workers or by contacting 311. Enforcement will be complaint-based. Employers will receive a warning for the first violation and could face penalties of $500 for subsequent violations.

“Empowering all workers, regardless of immigration status, to know their rights is critical to protecting them from workplace abuses,” said City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. “The Council passed this law to ensure the workers who power our city, and whose labor is critical to our success, are informed of their rights according to city, state, and federal laws. By creating a comprehensive and multilingual guide that consolidates information into one accessible place, and enlisting employers to post these “Know Your Rights” posters, workers will be reminded that their rights will be enforced in this city.”

“With the Workers’ Bill of Rights going into effect this summer, every worker in our city, regardless of their background or language, will be empowered and have the tools to protect themselves from unfair and unjust employer practices,” said Council Member Julie Menin, Chair of New York City Council’s Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection. “The City Council proudly passed this legislation and as a former Commissioner of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, I understand how pivotal the City’s outreach campaign will be to educate employers to prominently display the City’s new landmark Workers’ Bill of Rights,”

“Providing a one-stop guide to worker rights is long overdue,” said Council Member Gale A. Brewer. “Kudos to the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, the Commission on Human Rights and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs for compiling the many protections the Council and Legislature have put in place—including my own Paid Sick Leave law!”

“Our workers keep our City running. At a bare minimum, they deserve to know their rights on the job,” said Council Member Shahana Hanif. “I’ve heard too many accounts of workers, especially those who are immigrant New Yorkers, falling victim to labor exploitation because they were unaware of the laws that protect them in the workplace. Local Law 161 of 2023 tackles this problem by requiring that all workers receive a simple Worker Bill of Rights that serves as a “one stop shop” spelling out the City, State, and Federal labor protections that apply to them. I am grateful to DCWP, MOIA, CCHR, and our labor and community partners for ensuring that this document reaches the hands of our workforce. In this moment where our City is helping file thousands of work permit applications for asylum seekers, this task is critical to ensuring the well-being of our incoming workers.”

“Everybody wins when workers know their rights and are empowered to push back against exploitation and abuse regardless of their language ability or immigration status,” said Ligia Guallpa, executive director at Worker’s Justice Project (WJP).“WJP applauds the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection’s efforts to protect and inform New York City’s multicultural workforce.”

“We applaud Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga and the many advocates and coalition partners who have been part of releasing this latest NYC Workers’ Bill of Rights, which provides critical protection and support to workers across our city,” said Ben Fuller-Googins, deputy director, Carroll Gardens Association. “Many domestic and care workers are new immigrants, non-English speakers, undocumented, and are historically vulnerable to exploitative employers or unaware of their rights, to no fault of their own. This new, comprehensive Bill of Rights is an important step in ensuring that workers are treated with dignity, and in building a New York where all workers, regardless of their immigration status, have access to the resources and support they deserve.”

“Domestic workers across New York City have relied on the Worker Right booklet since its creation for invaluable and easy-to-understand information about their rights in the workplace,” said Marrisa Seneno, director, National Domestic Workers Alliance NY (NDWA). “This tool is useful for the over 250,000 domestic workers providing care in homes across the city. NDWA, our community-based affiliate organizations, and domestic worker members are highly anticipating the release of the new and updated Worker Bill of Rights booklet. We look forward to distributing this booklet to domestic workers across the city and connecting workers with DCWP for continued support on their rights.”

“New York City’s strong worker protections are only real when workers know their rights and how to enforce them,” said Elizabeth Jordan, co-legal director, Make the Road New York. “Make the Road New York applauds DCWP’s landmark Workers’ Bill of Rights as a critical resource for workers, especially immigrants and those in industries with high rates of violations.”

“Collaboration between city agencies, nonprofits and community is important to ensure that workers are protected,” said Yesenia Mata, executive director of La Colmena. “Through this Workers’ Bill of Rights — that is multilingual and a comprehensive guide — many workers will be informed about their rights so wage theft and discrimination can be prevented.”

“The NYC Labor Movement is pleased to see progress in implementing the first step of Local Law 161, which will provide important resources to help prevent exploitation and abuse of our City’s workers,” said New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO President Vincent Alvarez. “Every worker in this City needs to know about their rights and protections, especially vulnerable populations like our immigrant communities, including our new arrivals. We look forward to working with our affiliates and with the City to raise awareness of these protections in every workplace.”

“As a union that fought for and won several key policies that protect workers in New York City, like Paid Safe and Sick Leave and the Fair Workweek Law, we fully support the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection’s effort to educate workers about these rights,” said Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). “The Workers’ Bill of Rights will ensure countless workers understand and utilize these fundamental workplace rights. Knowledge is power, and as a result of DCWP’s effort, New York City’s workers will have both more knowledge and more power.”

The NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP)—formerly the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA)—protects and enhances the daily economic lives of New Yorkers to create thriving communities. DCWP licenses more than 45,000 businesses in more than 40 industries and enforces key consumer protection, licensing, and workplace laws that apply to countless more. By supporting businesses through equitable enforcement and access to resources and, by helping to resolve complaints, DCWP protects the marketplace from predatory practices and strives to create a culture of compliance. Through its community outreach and the work of its offices of Financial Empowerment and Labor Policy & Standards, DCWP empowers consumers and working families by providing the tools and resources they need to be educated consumers and to achieve financial health and work-life balance. DCWP also conducts research and advocates for public policy that furthers its work to support New York City’s communities. For more information about DCWP and its work, call 311 or visit DCWP at nyc.gov/dcwp 

Photo credit: HWM.