Since Zohran Mamdani took office in New York City at the start of the year, an important question has hung over his administration: Will the new mayor be able to use the power of city government to uphold and advance workers’ rights? Mamdani was elected after taking strongly pro-labor stances, vowing, in the words of his campaign platform, to defend “the right to collective bargaining” while “requiring high-road labor standards” for all workers doing business with the city. At the same time, with state and federal governments possessing most jurisdiction over labor and employment issues, the city’s mandate is limited.

Budgetary constraints are likely the biggest obstacle to the mayor expanding labor law enforcement. During his campaign, Mamdani promised to double the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection’s budget to roughly $135 million. While that vow was at least temporarily walked back due to budget woes, it appears the administration is still trying to follow through on its initial commitment. But regardless of what progress Mamdani makes on that front, his ability to navigate budget limitations should not be his only standard of success.

Alex Jacquez, chief of policy and advocacy at Groundwork Collaborative, a progressive economic policy think tank, acknowledged that the mayor’s hands are “somewhat tied” by restrictions on how he can raise revenue, but he added that the administration could create “more visibility, more awareness from the business community, from employers, that the mayor is prioritizing [enforcement]” — and that heightened scrutiny alone could have a “deterrence effect” on violators.