Posts tagged Zohran Mamdani
No More Snow Days for New York City Students. Blame the Teachers’ Union
January 27, 2026 // Mamdani may have been the face of the decision, but he wasn’t its author. The real culprit behind the disappearance of snow days is the scheduling inflexibility caused by new holidays and the city’s contract with the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). The Department of Education (DOE) sets the school calendar in close consultation with the teachers’ union, which generally tries to minimize the work required of its members. During the 2023 contract negotiations, the DOE issued calendars for the following two school years, effectively locking in the current 2025–26 school calendar as part of the teachers’ labor contract. Over the years, the DOE calendar has also inserted more holidays as a sign of cultural inclusivity. Mayor Bill de Blasio added Lunar (Chinese) New Year and the Muslim holy days of Eid al Fitr and Eid al Adha. Mayor Eric Adams added Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.
Commentary: Nurses in New York City Say They Deserve $200,000 a Year. Here’s Why.
January 26, 2026 // As a strike by health workers stretches into its second week, pay is a major issue in negotiations, even if it’s not discussed much on the picket line.
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders rally with nurses on ninth day of strike
January 21, 2026 // The democratic socialists, speaking to a boisterous crowd of nurses in front of Mount Sinai West on the Upper West Side, called on hospital executives to return to the negotiating table to resolve the contract impasse that prompted some 15,000 nurses to walk off the job last week.
Watson Commentary: Making the AFL-CIO great again: labor policy in 2026
January 20, 2026 // The biggest labor issue of all might be the changing composition of what remains of the union movement. Goodbye, manual-labor men; hello purple-haired they/them grad students.
Biggest nurses strike in NYC history enters 6th day as workers fear for patients
January 20, 2026 // New York’s largest nurses’ union has denied that the biggest nurses’ strike in the Big Apple’s history has turned deadly — after claims that an ICU patient had died as a result of the work stoppage. “NYSNA is not claiming that any deaths directly derived from the strike,” a spokesperson for the New York State Nurses Association confirmed in an email to The Post.
Major NYC hospital accuses nurses’ union of protecting drunk, stoned staffers as thousands go on strike
January 13, 2026 // “NYSNA leadership’s demand that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job is another example of putting their own self-interest before patient safety,” Montefiore said in a statement provided to The Post.
Nurses strike begins in New York City as thousands walk off jobs at major hospitals
January 12, 2026 // Montefiore Senior Vice President Joe Solmonese said, "NYSNA's leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job. We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last." A Mount Sinai spokesperson said, "Unfortunately, NYSNA decided to move forward with its strike while refusing to move on from its extreme economic demands, which we cannot agree to, but we are ready with 1,400 qualified and specialized nurses – and prepared to continue to provide safe patient care for as long as this strike lasts."
Labor troubles in Mamdani’s backyard
January 6, 2026 // A senior official on Abdelhamid’s campaign who requested anonymity to discuss internal matters said Teschner’s contract “was prepared for an independent contractor role,” but “she requested to be onboarded as a W-2 employee due to the temporary nature of campaign work and eligibility for unemployment benefits, which delayed finalizing the contract.” “The campaign explored that request but did not have the legal or payroll infrastructure to accommodate it,” the campaign official continued. “When informed that the role would need to remain a 1099 position, she indicated her fee would increase by $500.” “Given the misalignment between the structure she requested and the campaign’s capacity,” the official continued, “the arrangement was not a fit.”
Starbucks to pay $38.9 million settlement after it violated New York’s labor laws
December 2, 2025 // According to the settlement made public on Monday, Starbucks will pay $35.5 million to the 15,000 current and former employees who worked at the company's stores between July 2021 and July 2024. The settlement will give each of these workers $50 each week to resolve the alleged violations of the city's Fair Workweek ordinance. “With this landmark settlement, we’ll put tens of millions of dollars back into the pockets of hard-working New Yorkers and reinforce every New Yorker’s right to a reliable schedule, full hours, and basic dignity,” Adams said in a statement. Additionally, Starbucks will shell out $3.4 million in civil penalties and fees, and the settlement guarantees employees laid off during recent store closings will get a chance to get reinstated at other company locations, according to the announcement.
Unions Brace to Bargain With New Boss Zohran Mamdani
December 2, 2025 // At a party during SOMOS, the annual Puerto Rico getaway for New York’s political class, District Council 37 executive director Henry Garrido proudly introduced Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to a packed outdoor crowd at the Caribe Hilton of jubilant union officials, political insiders and government lobbyists. Just days after Mamdani’s election, the public display of support from the union leader — highlighted with a hug — underscored the emerging alliance between the incoming mayor and the leader of New York City’s largest public-sector union. That bond is about to be tested, or at least leaned on more than ever before