Opinion

Opinion: Zohran Mamdani will make New York City work for workers

As unions that represent nearly 400,000 workers across the city, we’ve proudly united behind Mamdani’s agenda to build a city where workers can truly thrive.

Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, center, rallies with 32BJ SEIU President Manny Pastreich, left, and Hotel & Gaming Trades Council President Rich Maroko, right, on July 2, 2025.

Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, center, rallies with 32BJ SEIU President Manny Pastreich, left, and Hotel & Gaming Trades Council President Rich Maroko, right, on July 2, 2025. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

This Labor Day, New York City’s union members, activists and leaders will be celebrating the critical achievements of the labor movement. Labor unions have fought for and won major victories like the 40-hour work week, workplace safety standards, higher wages and retirement benefits. Union members are the backbone of our city and have made it the epicenter of our nation’s labor movement, a place where workers wield more power than anywhere else. 

Our unions fight for good jobs and fair treatment every single day, but in a place as expensive as New York City, we also have to take aim at broader affordability issues facing working families, like the cost of rent, childcare, healthcare and transportation. But, for issues as big as these, we can’t find solutions without government leaders who are fully committed to making living in this city more affordable. 

That’s why, as unions that represent nearly 400,000 workers across New York City, we’ve proudly united behind Zohran Mamdani and his clear, achievable agenda to build a city where workers can truly thrive.

Our unions’ members welcome you at the front desk of your office, care for your loved ones in health care institutions, maintain your buildings, power the city’s tourism industry and always keep our city moving. 

We know that a good union job is essential in providing so many New Yorkers a stable way of life for themselves and their families, and we are proud of what we have accomplished for the working people of New York City. Through unions, working people – along with our political allies and through aggressive organizing and negotiating tactics – build power to make sure our families enjoy jobs with great wages and benefits. But, to make New York City work for workers, we need equally aggressive, pro-worker leadership in government to prevent our city from turning into a place where the very people who build and run it can no longer afford to live here with dignity. Mamdani is the type of leader whose vision matches the moment we face.

This summer’s primary sent a message loud and clear: New Yorkers want real solutions. Mamdani defied the expectations of New York City’s political establishment and ignited a movement that has transcended age, race, religion, income brackets and political affiliation. Because at the core of this movement is a message that the vast majority of New Yorkers can get behind: hardworking New Yorkers deserve a city that is affordable and safe for us and our families. And we deserve leaders who are not afraid to call out the forces that are preventing them from achieving that vision.

New Yorkers made it clear that they demand a leader who understands their economic pain when the rent goes up faster than wages, when the price of groceries makes buying healthy food unaffordable or when the lack of affordable child care means losing job opportunities. Workers are tired of just being told the city is broken – they want someone who has fresh and bold ideas for how to fix it. Mamdani’s coalition should be the future of New York City and the future of the Democratic Party. 

The truth is that plenty of politicians like President Donald Trump have successfully won the votes of working-class voters by acknowledging and tapping into their anger, only to pass the biggest tax break for millionaires and billionaires at our expense. Mamdani recognizes this real and justified voter discontent, but instead of misdirecting it towards already-marginalized immigrant groups like the communities we represent, he’s put forward a positive vision and pointed the finger at the real culprits: corporate greed and an unfair economy. 

Unions help level the playing field, but without bold action from our elected leaders, even a union job is not enough. In 2024, The New York Times reported that the median New York City rent hit $3,676, with outer-borough rents up as much as 14% in one year. The city comptroller’s 2025 report found that affording child care for a two-year-old requires a $334,000 annual income – four times the city’s median income. Grocery costs have jumped more than 56% in the past decade. Too many of our members are being forced to move farther and farther away from their jobs. For the New Yorkers we represent, Mamdani’s proposals aren’t radical – they’re a lifeline.

Our members know how to stand up to bullies and bosses who want to keep them on the sidelines. New York deserves a mayor who will stand by their side and make sure we have a vibrant economy that puts workers and our families first.

We need a fighter who understands that our city is only as strong, resilient and secure as our working class. That fighter is Zohran Mamdani, and we’ll be fighting by his side to elect him as the next mayor of New York City.

Rich Maroko is the president of the New York Hotel & Gaming Trades Council. Manny Pastreich is the president of 32BJ SEIU. Yvonne Armstrong is the president of 1199SEIU.

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