New York, NY—Today, Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed Executive Order (EO) No. 17 protecting workers from extreme heat. The EO directs the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM), and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) to develop and distribute stronger heat safety guidance for outdoor workers this year, and for indoor workers next year. These guidelines will be available in languages commonly spoken by workers, and thus able to reach more New Yorkers in the language that they speak. The EO also mandates industry-specific heat-protection plans for construction and municipal workers, expands access to public bathrooms for outdoor workers and delivery workers, and strengthens tracking and reporting of heat illness.
Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition:
“Dangerous heat conditions on the job put far too many New Yorkers at risk, with immigrant workers bearing a disproportionate share of the burden. The people who build New York City, deliver meals to our doorsteps, and bring life to our streets are often the workers most exposed to extreme heat. Immigrants comprise nearly three-quarters of our construction laborers and 96 percent of our street vendors, in addition to a significant share of food delivery workers and other outdoor workers facing increasingly hazardous conditions as temperatures rise. Until now, these same workers have been left to navigate extreme weather—whether it be a heatwave or freezing cold temperatures—on their own, at great risk to their personal safety and with insufficient oversight from our City. Executive Order 17 ensures immigrant workers do not have to choose between their safety and the wages they need to feed their families. We applaud Mayor Mamdani for taking this important step to advance workers' protection through multilingual education, prevention, and stronger planning. We look forward to working with the administration to ensure these protections reach the workers who need them most, and to expand investments in and protections for our communities.”
Context
New York City must continue to prioritize the safety and well-being of all immigrant New Yorkers by investing $3 million for multilingual emergency communications tools; $4.5 million for Access Health NYC; $5.8 million for the Community Interpreter Bank and Language Services Cooperative; $4 million for the Immigrant Family Communications and Outreach Initiative; and $188 million for immigration legal services; expanding language access for severe weather alerts, and by investing $188 million for immigration legal services; $50 million for adult literacy; $4.5 million for Access Health NYC; $5.8 million for the Community Interpreter Bank and Language Services Cooperative; $4 million for the Immigrant Family Communications and Outreach Initiative; along with investments in civic and census programs; pass legislation to protect immigrant students; strengthen the City’s sanctuary laws; expand CityFHEPS housing vouchers to all residents regardless of immigration status; prohibit any collaboration between city agencies and federal immigration enforcement; among other measures.