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TESTIMONY
Testimony by Sara Penenberg, Representative from SEIU Local 32BJ, on delayed payments to city-contracted workers
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Sara Penenberg, also representing SEIU Local 32BJ, speaks about the thousands of contracted workers at city facilities, including nearly 5,000 security officers at city-contracted shelters. She highlights that these frontline workers, predominantly Black and Brown, and the security vendors (many of which are MWBEs) experience significant downstream impacts from the city's delayed payments to social service providers.
Penenberg notes that thousands of security officers are owed tens of millions in back pay, stretching back to late 2021.
Sara Penenberg
0:49:42
Good evening.
0:49:43
My name is Sarah Penenberg.
0:49:44
I'm also here on behalf of SEIU Local thirty two BJ.
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Among thirty two BJ members are thousands of contracted workers at city facilities, including just under 5,000 security officers who work and protect city contracted shelters.
0:50:00
These are frontline workers in some of New York's most challenging workplace, serving the most vulnerable of our neighbors.
0:50:07
These officers, the majority of who are black and brown, the security vendors who work for them, many of which are MWBEs, experienced significant downstream impacts of the city's delayed payment to social service providers.
0:50:25
Today, there are thousands of security officers who are owed collectively tens of millions of dollars in back pay for a period stretching as far back as late twenty twenty one, an issue for which we believe insufficient and delays in city contract payments practice are at least partially to blame.
0:50:47
Thirty two b j echoes the calls to reform these systems and, in particular, register our support for proposals discussed in the commission's preliminary report to codify the mayor's office of contract services to empower the agency with greater authority over city contracts.
0:51:05
We look forward to working with the commissioner with the commission and stakeholders to advance these proposals that would lead to contract workers at city facilities, including shelter security guards getting the respect they are due.
Gwen Lowenheim
0:51:20
Thanks for your time.