Council Adopts Legislation To Create Immigrant Worker Bill of Rights : The New Law Will Mandate Employers Distribute Materials To Ensure Immigrant Workers Know Their Legal Rights

USANewsOnline.Com Desk : New York : At Thursday’s Stated Meeting of the New York City Council, Immigration Committee Chair Council Member Shahana Hanif, passed Intro. 569-B to create the City’s first Immigrant Workers’ Bill of Rights. This new law will require the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP), in coordination with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA), and the New York City Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), to create and publish a workers’ bill of rights containing important information on the labor protections that apply to all workers, regardless of immigration status. Employers will be required to provide a copy of the Immigrant Worker Bill of Rights to employees on their first day on the job and post it in a conspicuous location in the workplace. MOIA, in coordination with DCWP and community and labor groups, would also be required to conduct outreach to workers, including a robust advertising campaign through digital and print media, subway, as well as LinkNYC kiosks.

“As we work to welcome asylum seekers into our City’s workforce, we can’t be setting them up for exploitation. Labor laws exist on our books to protect all of our workers, including new arrivals and more established immigrants; this Bill of Rights will go a long way to ensuring they are followed,” said Immigration Committee Chair, Council Member Shahana Hanif. “Our bill empowers immigrant workers to have the knowledge they need to earn what they’re owed and support themselves and their families.”
Immigrant workers are protected by the minimum wage, overtime, paid sick leave, fair scheduling, and the right to form a union. However, many immigrant workers are unaware of these protections, which leaves them particularly vulnerable to wage theft and other forms of exploitation. This first-in-the-nation bill will combat this dynamic by consolidating relevant information into one convenient document and ensuring that this document reaches workers in the languages they speak.
Since being heard in April, the legislation has been amended to add a new outreach component at emergency shelters, HERRCs, respite centers, asylum seeker resource navigation centers, and IDNYC registration sites to help newly arrived asylum seekers join the workforce. At these sites, the City will be required to provide updates regarding Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and distribute information regarding City resources, including the asylum application help center, the immigration legal hotline, immigration legal services, and MOIA. This will be critical to ensuring eligible asylum seekers from Venezuela and other countries can swiftly obtain expedited work permits.
“Informing immigrant New Yorkers in the workforce about their rights is crucial to empowering communities and supporting their well-being,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams. “The Council is proud to advance legislation that publishes an Immigrant Workers Bill of Rights and mandates outreach to expand awareness. Our communities and local economy are enriched by the contributions of immigrant New Yorkers, and I thank Council Member Hanif and our colleagues for their efforts on this important bill.”
​​“The NYC Labor Movement applauds the passage of the Immigrant Worker Bill of Rights, which will provide important resources to help prevent exploitation and abuse of our City’s immigrant 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 the Immigrant Worker Bill of Rights in every workplace.”
“From stolen wages, to unsafe conditions, to rampant discrimination, our economic system relies on the exploitation of vulnerable, immigrant labor to run,” said Council Member Alexa Avilés. “I am not naïve to suggest that any single city bill can overcome the vast disparities that exist within our workforce; however, I am grateful to my colleague Shahana Hanif and her steadfast advocacy for laborers who make up the backbone of our municipal economy. Intro. 569 will provide important transparency and educational materials for working-class, immigrant residents who have a right to dignity on the job and the same standards as everybody else.”
“Across many industries right now, workers are fighting for, and often winning, protections and enhanced rights. For millions of workers in New York City, their rights can be difficult or impossible for them to determine, especially if they are working without the protection of documented immigration status,” said Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez. “This legislation clearly outlines workers’ rights, provides access to much-needed resources, and reaffirms our commitment to protecting those who enrich our City and have contributed to its economy for generations.”
“It’s critical that workers in New York City have a full and clear picture of their rights — especially immigrant New Yorkers,” said Council Member Lincoln Restler. “I’m excited we are passing Council Member Hanif’s critical legislation to bring much-needed protections to workplaces citywide.”
“For the good of every New Yorker, we must make sure the asylum seekers arriving today, and the climate refugees to come, are able to fully participate in the economic life of the city,” said Council Member Tiffany Cabán. “The Immigrant Worker Bill of Rights will equip new arrivals with the information they need to ensure they receive fair pay and treatment from their employers. I’m proud to support it.”
“Finding employment is among the most significant and challenging hurdles that new arrivals face,” said Council Member Sandy Nurse. “The Immigrant Workers’ Bill of Rights is a necessary protective step to prevent exploitation, harassment, and to ensure new workers know their rights under the law. With issues like wage theft, harassment, and abuse rampant within certain industries, the City must do everything within our power to protect workers’ rights, regardless of their immigration status.”
“The Immigrant Workers’ Bill of Rights is a vital step toward guaranteeing a just, equitable, and safe work environment for all New Yorkers, regardless of their immigration status,” said Council Member Crystal Hudson. “With the passage of Intro. 569, we’re empowering all workers with a clear understanding of the protections to which they’re entitled under the law and creating a lasting framework for the Council to continue to expand for the benefit of workers across the five boroughs.”
“Immigrant labor has been the backbone of NYC since before the migrant crisis, and it has been wrongfully exploited for far too long. We must continue the work of equipping a vulnerable but vital workforce with the tools to protect themselves against unscrupulous employers and empower them to speak up. I’m proud to have colleagues like Councilmember Hanif who understand how crucial this worker education is for the immigrant community,” said Councilmember Carmen De La Rosa, Chair of the Civil Service and Labor Committee.
“The Immigrant Worker Bill of Rights is urgently needed to support new arrivals and long-time immigrant residents alike,” said Darly Corniel, Director of Education for the Consortium for Worker Education. “These are our most vulnerable workers. Immigrants have the same protections from wage theft and dangerous workplaces as everyone else, but fear of immigration enforcement often prevents them from accessing these laws. CWE and our partners in the Immigration Protection Group look forward to supporting the implementation of this law to protect the immigrant workers that we serve.”
“Our clients and all workers across New York City, regardless of their immigration status, have the right to safe and transparent workplaces and to be fully informed of their rights under federal and state law,” said Elizabeth Saylor, Citywide Director of the Employment Law Unit at The Legal Aid Society. “The Legal Aid Society thanks Council Member Shahana Hanif for sponsoring this critically important legislation and we praise the City Council for voting for its full passage. We now urge Mayor Adams to immediately sign this needed measure into law.”

About Council Member Shahana Hanif: Council Member Shahana Hanif is the Council Member for Brooklyn’s 39th District and Chair of the Council’s Immigration Committee. Born and raised in Kensington, Brooklyn, she is the daughter of two Bangladeshi Muslim immigrants. She is a product of public schools, having attended P.S. 230 and Brooklyn College, and is an activist, community organizer, and public servant. Before being elected to office, she served as the Director of Organizing and Community Engagement in Former Council Member, now Comptroller, Brad Lander’s office, where she led grassroots initiatives like Participatory Budgeting. Shahana is the first Muslim woman ever elected to the New York City Council and the first woman Council Member for the 39th District. Press Release.