Meet Your Mayor
Answer the questions below to see which candidates for NYC mayor agree with you most
Welcome to Meet Your Mayor, which shows you how the candidates’ stands fit with your take on the issues that matter most to New Yorkers.
If you’re new to Meet Your Mayor, learn more about how it works and what to expect now through the June 22 primary.
Answer the following four questions on labor to see which candidates for mayor most closely match the future you want to see for New York City.
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New York City is receiving billions of dollars in pandemic relief from the federal government, much of it intended to help revive the economy. What to do with the funds is largely a local decision.
Question 1 of 4
"We want to encourage people to come to the office safely. We want to encourage workers in restaurants and other service industries that have been shut down to return to work."
from THE CITY Interview, April 29, 2021
"I've identified what I call a comeback accelerator plan, which gives wage subsidies to 50,000 small businesses. We’ll pay 50% of the workers’ salary for one year by jumpstarting the economy. It’s going to cost me 900-plus-million dollars over two budget years, which I can pay for by using the existing federal and state funds.”
from Citizens Budget Commission Mayoral Candidate Forum, Feb. 24, 2021
"I proposed the City create a $1 billion stimulus fund for small businesses, and nonprofits that would distribute grants between $20,000 and $100,000 to organizations for payroll, back rent, to rehire employee who were let go, to pay for costs incurred from COVID-19 safety renovations, and more."
from Statement to THE CITY
Adams' campaign told the Daily News he would expand tax credits for low-income working people and make the benefit available for the recently unemployed.
from New York Daily News
"We should have government programs that employ people. And we should also help employers bring back their employees, especially small businesses. But for everybody else, we need unemployment benefits."
from THE CITY Interview, April 30, 2021
“We need to grow. That is part of what gets us out of this, which has meant strategic investments in working with the private sector to provide low-interest loans to our restaurants and to our small businesses. We need them back. They're huge generators of employment.”
from Citizens Budget Commission Mayoral Candidate Forum, Feb. 24, 2021
“Most everyone knows that if I had my way, we’d all be getting $1,000 a month from the federal government,” Yang said in reference to his proposed universal basic income plan, which he would target to NYC's neediest. “I’m thrilled to make it happen in the biggest, greatest city in the country.”
from Bloomberg CityLab, Jan. 28, 2021
"We will deploy capital to small businesses in neighborhood commercial areas, dispersing small loans to viable retail businesses to help them retool and expand as New York City emerges from the pandemic-driven recession."
from The Plan for the City of New York
“I have based my plan and my program on what we have learned in history, which is that when we are in an economic crisis, we have to find a way to invest in our people, put dollars in our pockets and make sure that we are stimulating the economy.”
from Citizens Budget Commission Mayoral Candidate Forum, Feb. 24, 2021
Fernando Mateo, Isaac Wright Jr.
A growing segment of the workforce consists of workers who pick up assignments from apps like Uber or DoorDash, treated by the companies as independent contractors lacking rights of employees, including the right to join a labor union.
Question 2 of 4
"First of all, I will push for gig-economy workers to have all of the rights and benefits of traditional employees."
“This is really got to be done at the state level. It is nearly impossible to do this at the city level. We can do it in some cases in areas where that business requires permits or licenses, so that's why we've been able to step in.”
from THE CITY interview, April 13, 2021
Morales’ campaign says she would push for creating paid family leave, maternity leave, and sick leave to independent contractors and gig workers. She would also create a platform cooperative and digital democracy agenda.
from Campaign website
The Stringer campaign calls for strengthening workforce protections for independent contractors and says Stringer will fight misclassification of workers.
from NYC Comptroller website, March 15, 2021
“Gig-economy workers have played an important role in keeping our city running throughout the COVID crisis. I support the right of all workers to organize, and I support the classification of app-based drivers as employees, entitled to the rights and protections they deserve."
“I will work to ensure that all workers are paid fairly, are able to secure their pay without hassle or cheating and have access to benefits — whether they are a freelancer, an employee, or an undocumented worker.”
"If all of a sudden everyone's classified as an employee...costs will go up to businesses everywhere. And those costs will then be passed along to consumers.'"
from THE CITY Interview, April 29, 2021
"The California bill to reclassify contract workers for companies like Uber as employees, not contractors, is a positive step. In many cases the companies have as much or more control than traditional employers."
from Twitter, Sept. 11, 2019
Fernando Mateo, Isaac Wright Jr.
The mayor of New York City controls contracts with hundreds of thousands of municipal employees and retirees who are members of labor unions, whose wages and benefits are paid by local, state and federal taxpayers.
Question 3 of 4
"NYPD's PBA is an example of a union that needs changes in its bargaining."
from THE CITY Interview, April 30, 2021
"When negotiating with labor unions, we have to look at how we can trim down the cost of our workforce. So we can't simply do giveaways to any interest group, and that includes labor unions, contractors and otherwise."
from THE CITY Interview, April 29, 2021
Donovan's campaign says he will save money while “avoiding layoffs by establishing a general hiring freeze — excluding teachers and essential public safety positions — as well as a general wage freeze, and by consolidating pension and benefit funds, starting with all non-uniform and non-UFT funds.”
“You have to work with labor because they are the ones who actually end up doing the job. And so, when you are collaborative, you can find savings, which has historically been done.”
from Citizens Budget Commission Mayoral Candidate Forum, Feb. 24, 2021
“I would work with labor in order to come to a conclusion or come to an agreement that was mutually agreeable” on raises for city workers.
from Citizens Budget Commission mayoral candidate forum, Feb. 24, 2021
“I've stood there with you, and if I'm elected mayor, together we will continue a partnership that honors your service, that does not threaten your jobs; it does not threaten the work that you do. We will be equal, respected partners as we bring the city back.”
from DC37 Mayoral Forum, Jan. 25, 2021
"I'm going to wring the budget of everything that is not people, to try and balance the budget in a way that does not affect you and yours.”
from DC37 Mayoral Forum, Jan. 25, 2021
Ray McGuire, Eric Adams, Maya Wiley, Fernando Mateo, Isaac Wright Jr.
New York minimum wages are controlled by New York State, based on the recommendations of a wage board. But local advocacy has led to minimum wages rising higher more rapidly in NYC than the rest of the state, currently $15 an hour.
Question 4 of 4
"The rate of inflation should be the rate of inflation for everything."
from THE CITY Interview, April 30, 2021
Donovan’s campaign says he will create “a wage board to set fair terms for compensation” for climate adaptation workers that replicates “the successful process to increase the minimum wage in New York State."
“It's nearly impossible to live on $15 an hour here, in the city of New York. And honestly, the federal minimum wage should be tied to inflation, as it once was. We need to work with our small businesses to understand and take into account what when we are making worker changes.”
from THE CITY interview, April 13, 2021
Morales seeks a guaranteed minimum income. “It’s really the idea of raising the floor for some of the most vulnerable and marginalized people in New York City.”
from NY1, Feb. 3, 2021
"If I had a choice between something like universal basic income and a higher minimum wage, I would choose universal basic income. But if I don't get universal basic income, then I'm all for raising the minimum wage."
from Pitchfork Economics podcast, April 3, 2021
"We should also support efforts to increase the minimum wage."
"The last thing you want to do is increase it again, which will hurt small businesses...they simply couldn't afford it."
from THE CITY Interview, April 29, 2021
"Our waiters were making amazing tips. Some waiters were making $700, $800 a day, on tips. These waiters were making $8 an hour. When the $15-an-hour rule came, we had to let go about 50 of our employees because we just couldn't afford it."
from NYC Hospitality Alliance Mayoral Forum, April 12, 2021
Ray McGuire, Isaac Wright Jr., Paperboy Prince
Reporting by Ann Choi and Mónica Cordero, development by Will Welch, editing by Alyssa Katz. Candidate images from Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY, Alejandro Durán/THE CITY, Shutterstock and campaign websites.