New York, NY – Union Leaders rallied on March 30, 2026 on the steps of City Hall calling for increased funding for New York City’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP), which investigates exploitative labor practices and enforces worker protections in New York City.
Representatives from several unions demonstrated at NY City Hall that day including 32BJ SEIU, UAW, NYC CLC, and several unions in the building trades. The rally was a reaction to Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s preliminary budget for the next fiscal year which proposed an 8% cut to the Department, from $82 million to $75 million. Mayor Mamdani pledged to double the budget of the DCWP, so this was disappointing. The work of staff of the DCWP is critical in eliminating hidden hotel fees, and combatting wage theft and other labor violations. Just last week, the Mayor and DCWP Commissioner Sam Levine announced a $1.8 million settlement by the Department for around 800 Workers who had their scheduling rights violated by Franchisees of Dunkin’ Donuts and Taco Bell.
But now, faced with a multi-billion-dollar budget shortfall, the DCWP budget has been reduced.
