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Council Member Carmen De La Rosa introduces and advocates for Resolution 598
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Council Member Carmen De La Rosa, chair of the civil service and labor committee, introduces Resolution 598 and urges her colleagues to vote in favor of it. The resolution calls for New York City healthcare institutions to contract only with industrial laundry companies that respect workers' rights and maintain fair labor standards.
- De La Rosa emphasizes the importance of not supporting companies that violate labor laws and endanger workers.
- She cites FDR Services Corp as an example of a company with unsafe and unlawful practices.
- The council member stresses the need to stand with immigrant women workers and uphold workers' justice in New York City.
Carmen N. De La Rosa
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Thank you.
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Good morning and welcome to today's vote of the civil service and labor committee.
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I'm council member Carmen de la Rosa, chair of the committee.
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Resolution five ninety eight sponsored by myself calls on the New York City healthcare institutions to contract only with industrial laundry companies that respect workers legal rights and uphold local standards for wages and benefits.
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This is not about this is not just about laundry service, it's about whether we as a city will allow public dollars and institutional contracts to support companies that repeatedly violate labor laws, endangering workers, and undermining collective bargaining.
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The facts are clear.
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Companies like FDR services corp have engaged in a pattern of unsafe and unlawful practices from serious OSHA violations to retaliation against workers for taking sick leave during the pandemic.
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These actions are not just morally unacceptable, they are they are incompatible with our city's values of dignity, fairness, and respect for workers.
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Most laundry contractors in the industry do the right thing.
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They pay fair wages, they provide health benefits, and they follow the law.
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This resolution is about ensuring that all contractors follow this example.
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It's about using our collective voice to say that we will not turn a blind eye to abuse or allow public institutions to reward bad actors.
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We stand with immigrant women who keep up the backbone of this industry.
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We stand with workers fighting for decent conditions and we stand for the principle that respect for label rights is not optional in our city.
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I urge my colleagues to vote yes on this resolution.
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Let's send a clear message that New York City will always be a place where workers justice matters.
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I'd like to thank committee staff for their hard work in preparing for this vote.
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Senior policy analyst Elizabeth Arts, senior committee counsel Rie Oswara, as well as my staff James Burke, Kiana Diaz, and Frey Familia.
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I will now turn it to the clerk to call the roll.