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Q&A
Just cause protections for fast food workers and potential expansion
0:44:00
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120 sec
Council Member Cabán discusses the success of just cause protections for fast food workers and proposes expanding these protections to all non-union workers through the Secure Jobs Act. DCWP representatives share enforcement statistics and express openness to discussing potential extensions of these protections.
- Just cause protections have been important for fast food workers
- DCWP has handled 52 complaints and opened 29 cases in 2024 related to just cause protections
- DCWP expresses willingness to collaborate on extending protections to other workers
Tiffany Cabán
0:44:00
Great.
0:44:01
Glad to hear it.
0:44:02
And then my my next question is, just around the the the fast food workers protections, back from back in 2021.
0:44:11
So, obviously, you know, with our city and thanks to you all has very successfully instituted the just cause protections for those fast food workers.
0:44:19
And, you know, while federal worker protections and anti discrimination efforts are obviously under attack, I think it's gonna be a more important for New York City to be able to ensure, like, safe and and stable working environment for New Yorkers.
0:44:31
As y'all are aware, I have that that bill called the Secure Jobs Act, which would create universal just cost protections for nonunion workers, in New York City.
0:44:39
So my my my next question is, are are y'all familiar with this bill?
0:44:43
Do you think it's important at a time when the federal government is attacking labor rights, that just specifically, just cause protections are extended to all workers?
Carlos Ortiz
0:44:56
Thank you, council member.
0:44:57
I think well, to start, I would say that just cause protections in the fast food space, I think, have been incredibly important for those workers.
0:45:03
And I know when we testified in the past at that hearing that the the the factual record certainly, ensured that that, or it it let I may say the factual record always demonstrated that this protection was needed in the fast food industry as well.
0:45:18
I think, you know, just since in 2024, we've, we've had 52 complaints.
0:45:24
We've opened 29 cases.
0:45:25
We've closed another 23 cases.
0:45:28
We recently announced, a a good resolution for a worker in the Just Cause fast food context.
0:45:33
So I think it's certainly working there.
0:45:35
And, in with respect to your bill, I'm I'm I'm more familiar with the version that was introduced last session.
0:45:41
I think the extent that we can have a conversation about about how how we could extend those protections and what needs to be put in place for that, I think it's something we're always open to.
0:45:49
We I think the commissioner has always told me that we wanna be in the room for these conversations.
0:45:53
I think we bring a lot of expertise for how things can be implemented and the policies that need to be put in place, and we we're always willing partners in that sense.