Kamillah Hanks’ office the subject of multiple workplace complaints

The office of Staten Island District 49 City Council Member Kamillah Hanks has been the subject of multiple workplace complaints, with five current and former employees telling City & State the negative office culture has caused high turnover. Complaints include allegations of retaliation for requesting time off, religious discrimination and the chief of staff berating employees.

At least three staffers reported their grievances to the chief equal employment opportunity and diversity officer at the New York City Council. Additionally, at least four current and former staff members have filed complaints about the management of the office with the City Council staffers’ union, the Association of Legislative Employees (ALE), the staffers told City & State. Sarah Crean, an ALE union representative, confirmed to City & State that “multiple staffers past and current complained to the union.”

Former and current staffers say there is a high turnover rate at Hanks’ office especially for lower level positions. On a staff of approximately seven employees, there have been at least seven staff departures or firings in the past three years. 

The council member did not respond to multiple requests for comment before publication. After this story was published, Hanks sent this statement: “Serving the residents and families of my North Shore district is very demanding, and we experience the same employee turnover challenges as my colleagues. These disgruntled individuals are subject to a disciplinary termination process, and confidentiality requirements prevent me from sharing more details. Unfortunately, this protracted process often denies our North Shore residents the quality service they deserve. Serving the taxpayers of this great City still requires attendance, competency, and proper comportment. I will forever endeavor to assure the people get all they pay for."

In response to a question about the complaints, a council spokesperson said: “The Council does not comment on EEO matters to preserve the integrity of our EEO process, which seeks to ensure confidentiality to the greatest extent possible. The Council has a strong Anti-Discrimination and Harassment Policy, and is committed to preventing and addressing discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in violation of this policy.”

The City Council’s anti-discrimination and harassment policy upholds federal anti-discrimination laws for protected categories such as religion and caregiver status and also prohibits bullying even if one does not fall under a protected category. An equal employment committee exists within the council to intake EEO complaints and make recommendations to the City Council speaker based on their investigations.

Hanks, a Democrat representing the north shore of Staten Island, was elected to the City Council in 2021. She ran for reelection unopposed in the Democratic primary in 2023, but this time faces a reelection battle against challengers Abou Diakhate, Telee Brown and Sarah Blas on the primary ballot. Hanks is chair of the subcommittee on landmarks, public sitings, and dispositions.

All five office employees spoke with City & State on the condition that we not name them out of fear of workplace repercussions. Three of the staffers agreed to share some of the details of their workplace complaints in this story. We will refer to them as Staffer 1, Staffer 2 and Staffer 3. 

Staffer 1 filed an equal employment opportunity complaint to the City Council on May 15 alleging that they were fired for “not doing their job.” The staffer, who is Muslim, said they were being mistreated more intensely after disclosing their religion in conversation with management. 

Staffer 1 said they were retaliated against for stepping away from their desk to practice the dhuhr prayer, a mandatory afternoon prayer in Islam, according to the complaint Staffer 1 shared with City & State. Another time, the council member criticized Staffer 1 in all caps in a staff group chat for a logistical issue that occurred while they were out of office for Eid, the complaint alleges.  

“The extremely high level of stress this toxic and abusive environment subjected me to was so

unprecedented that it took a serious toll on my health,” Staffer 1 writes in their complaint. They later added: “The toxic work environment is characterized by public beratement, blame-shifting, and an utter lack of accountability from leadership.”

Staffer 2 also shared their EEO complaint, submitted May 6, with City & State. In the complaint, they describe feeling coerced into signing a “corrective action plan” presented by Hanks and her Chief of Staff Marci Bishop without having the chance to review the document. They said the council member and chief of staff got visibly upset when Staffer 2 refused to sign the document and invoked their Weingarten Rights to union representation. 

The City Council staff union advised Staffer 2 to call the New York City Council’s human resources hotline to report the corrective action plan incident. Staffer 2 was under the impression that the personnel services hotline was a confidential space to voice their concerns. 

Staffer 2 called the hotline and told them their grievances. But a few days later, Hanks allegedly confronted the staffer at the office and yelled at them to stop reaching out to personnel services. The council member allegedly said the staffer should stop speaking up because Hanks “hears everything.” 

Staffer 3’s issues with the office date back the earliest. They have been in contact with the EEO officer since December 2024, and they filed an official complaint on March 5.

Staffer 3 said Bishop and Hanks criticized them for requesting anywhere from a day to weeks to a month of time off over a period of two years for their chronic illness and role as a caregiver for multiple family members.

In the New York City Council’s union ALE contract, there is a clause under the Absence and Leave Policies prohibiting retaliation against staff members requesting or using leave. The staffer reported to the union and the EEO officer there were multiple cases where the staffer was removed from access to the district calendar, emails and group chats after returning from time off, rendering it difficult for them to do their job. 

After requesting time off for a family emergency, the current staffer alleged that the chief of staff,

after consulting with the council member, threatened to reduce their schedule from full time to part time

The staffer said they were forced to turn in their keys to the district office and reassigned to work solo in a different City Council office outside District 49. The union said their attorney determined there was no paperwork filed for firing this employee or reducing them to part time in an email obtained by City & State. 

“Harassment and abuse of staff are not acceptable in any workplace, including the New York City Council,” union representative Crean told City & State. “Our union was created to defend and maintain every staff member's right to a fair and safe working environment.”