Under the 12 years of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York City’s economic, political, and social landscapes have all changed significantly. Bloomberg – whose net worth is now 48.5 billion dollars – led the city during a post-financial crisis, going so far as to extending the mayoral term limit from two to three in order to do so. As most New Yorkers did not recover from The Great Recession, then-mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio campaigned for the empty seat with this understanding of stark economic inequality.
Bill de Blasio’s First State of the City Address
“Because the truth is, the state of our city, as we find it today, is a Tale of Two Cities – with an inequality gap that fundamentally threatens our future.” – Bill de Blasio, 2014
In his First State of the City Address, Mayor Bill DeBlasio addressed the income inequality crisis as a growing trend unless policies were put in place. His 2013 mayoral campaign focused on New York City’s growing anguish over income inequality, promising progressive changes that would provide economic justice and would bridge the “tale of two cities.”
Paid Sick Leave
Under Mayor de Blasio, New York City led a massive campaign for paid sick leave albeit the glaring absence of federal level momentum. He helped implement the law – the largest municipal law of its kind in the nation – on April 1st, 2014. He expanded coverage to include manufacturing workers, grandparents, grandchildren, and siblings – previously excluded groups under the Earned Sick Leave Act. The city’s landmark paid sick leave law provides relief to thousands of working class New Yorkers who often must sacrifice a paycheck to take care of their sick children. Often times, New Yorkers who chose to stay home could lose their jobs as well.
New York City’s Paid Sick Leave Law covers employees who work at least 80 hours a year. If an employer has five or more employees, the employees are entitled to paid sick leave. If the employer has four or fewer employees, they are entitled to unpaid sick leave. Under the law, workers earn one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours per year.
Since then, the Paid Sick Leave Law has helped thousands of employees receive restitution under the law. All the while, the city’s declining unemployment rate and an addition of more than 250,000 private sector jobs proves that using policy to address issues of wealth inequality does not always lead to the actualization of fears of lower wages or increased costs.
“The paid sick leave law has meant a measure of economic security, dignity, and peace of mind for more than a million New Yorkers, mostly low-wage workers. New Yorkers no longer have to make a painful choice between their jobs and their health when they get sick. What was once controversial is now common sense. New York has also helped spark national action, as 13 cities and two states have passed paid sick leave laws since New York City did, and now paid sick leave is a part of the national political debate. Mayor de Blasio and Commissioner Menin have led an innovative community outreach and engagement effort to ensure that workers in all five boroughs know their rights, and we commend them for a successful implementation.” Bill Lipton, New York State Director, Working Families Party
“A healthy workforce is a more productive workforce, which is good news for employers, employees and consumers across the five boroughs. The Department of Small Business Services is committed to working with our partner agencies to ensure that small business owners understand their responsibilities and have the support they need to comply with the Paid Sick Leave Law,” said Gregg Bishop, Commissioner of the Department of Small Business Services.
“I work with food all day, so I really can’t be sick at work. I had seen signs at my job about ‘ESTA’ – the Earned Sick Time Act – but I didn’t really realize what that was until I got my paycheck after being out for two days and to my great surprise, I saw that I’d been paid for the time I was out! Like they told me at work – you’ve earned it, you should take it. This paid sick leave law that Mayor de Blasio has helped make a reality allowed me to take care of myself when I was sick and come back to work healthier and happier, especially since I don’t have to lose out on my pay, which I need to support myself and my young son.” Kai Sumpter, Grocery Store Employee, Morris Heights, The Bronx
