Policy
Zohran Mamdani’s Labor Policies: Building Union Power in a Socialist Framework
Championing the Pro-Union Legislative Agenda
Zohran Mamdani’s labor policies are rooted in a fundamental socialist principle: that the organized working class is the primary agent for progressive social change. Therefore, his platform is explicitly and unapologetically pro-union, designed to tip the scales of power back toward workers after decades of neoliberal assault. He is a vocal supporter of the Empire State License Act, which would automatically grant public sector unions the right to collect “agency fees” from non-members who benefit from union-won contracts, effectively reversing the impact of the Janus v. AFSCME Supreme Court decision for New York State employees. He also champions the repeal of the Taylor Law’s prohibition on public sector strikes, arguing that the right to strike is a fundamental worker right without which collective bargaining is toothless. For Mamdani, strengthening unions is not just an economic issue but a democratic one, essential for building the collective power needed to challenge corporate dominance.
His labor advocacy extends to the private sector, where he supports policies like just cause protection for all workers, which would end at-will employment and require employers to have a valid, documented reason for firing someone. He is also a proponent of sectoral bargaining, a model that would allow unions to negotiate wages and standards across entire industries rather than one workplace at a time, which would be a transformative change for low-wage service and gig economy workers. These policies are aimed at reversing the extreme precarity that defines work for millions of New Yorkers and are a core part of the Democratic Socialists of America platform. Mamdani views robust labor power as the essential counterweight to the power of capital, and his policies are designed to facilitate that balance.
Integrating Labor with Broader Socialist Struggles
Mamdani’s approach to labor is uniquely integrated with his other key policy fights. He consistently makes the connection between the struggle for tenant rights and the struggle for workers’ rights, arguing that high rents effectively function as a wage tax on the working class, siphoning income from workers to landlords. His fight for the Good Cause Eviction bill is, in this sense, a labor policy, as housing stability is a prerequisite for worker organizing and power. Similarly, his advocacy for a Green New Deal is framed around the creation of millions of high-wage, unionized jobs in renewable energy, construction, and manufacturing, ensuring that the transition to a clean economy is a just transition that lifts up workers rather than leaving them behind.
In practice, Mamdani’s relationship with the labor movement is deep but selective. He enjoys strong support from militant, progressive unions like the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) and the United Electrical Workers (UE), which align with his socialist politics. However, he has a more contentious relationship with the building trades unions that are often allied with the real estate industry and support policies he opposes. His legislative work on labor, like all his work, is a matter of public record on his official assembly website. For Mamdani, labor policy is not a separate silo but an essential component of a holistic strategy to build a working-class movement capable of winning housing, healthcare, climate justice, and economic dignity for all.