Press Room

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams today called on the state legislature to pass a bill aimed at ending worker exploitation and subminimum wages based on age or disability. At a City Council hearing of the Committee on Civil Service and Labor this afternoon, he urged the Council to adopt his resolution in support of the state bill, and highlighted the abuses permitted through loopholes in current state law.

The Public Advocate’s resolution calls for the passage of State Senate Bill S28/Assembly Bill A1006, which would address longstanding issues established under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Originally intended to prevent hiring discrimination against workers with disabilities by permitting a subminimum wage, the law has been used to perpetuate unsustainable wages and abuses by some companies against their workforce. As of 2019, more than half of workers employed by organizations possessing a subminimum wage certificate earned less than $3.50 an hour, some as little as 22 cents an hour, a “brazen abuse of a legal loophole in the FLSA.”

“The FLSA is more than 85 years old, and with it comes provisions that may be arguably antiquated…” argued Public Advocate Williams in support of his resolution. “...While the intent of the subminimum wage was to ensure job opportunities for people with disabilities, it does not entirely account for the loopholes employers would go through to pay employees as little as possible for their work. Everyone deserves to seek and obtain dignified employment and be compensated fairly. It is time New York steps up and rids itself of this nearly-century-old ableist provision.”

Approximately 11% of the City’s total population live with some type of disability, and approximately 26% of adults in the State live with disabilities. The Public Advocate himself has Tourette Syndrome, and has long worked for equitable practices to support the disability community and workers in our city.

“It is time the State Legislature gets it to the finish line,” said the Public Advocate about the bill, “And I urge my colleagues to support my resolution to push for its passage.”

The Public Advocate’s full comments at the hearing are below.

STATEMENT OF PUBLIC ADVOCATE JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS TO THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON CIVIL SERVICE AND LABOR

JANUARY 27, 2025

Good afternoon,

Thank you so much Madame Chair, really appreciate it, welcome everyone. Thank you for giving me the opportunity. As mentioned My name is Jumaane D. Williams and I am the Public Advocate for the City of New York. Thank you to Chair De La Rosa and members of the Committee on Civil Service and Labor for holding this hearing and for allowing me to share my statement.

Today, I am speaking in support of Resolution 0333-2024, which I reintroduced this legislative session. The resolution calls on the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign State Senate Bill S28 (by Senator Skoufis) and its companion, State Assembly Bill A1006 (Assemblymember Steck). It would eliminate the subminimum wage for employees based on their disability or age. The bill goes as far back as 2017, and has been reintroduced every session since it is a matter of equity that the State of New York needs to address. It is time the State Legislature gets it to the finish line, and I urge my colleagues to support my resolution to push for its passage.

Presently, there are provisions outlined by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) that provide for the employment of individuals with disabilities at wage rates below the statutory minimum (otherwise known as the minimum wage). The intent of such a provision is to prevent employers from deciding against the hiring of individuals based on characteristics such as having a disability. Employers could receive a subminimum wage certificate from the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor. Despite an effort to encourage the hiring of individuals with disabilities, the real life application of the provision still leads to major pay discrepancies and unfair treatment in the workplace.

According to the United States Government Accountability Office, since 2019, more than half of workers employed by organizations possessing a subminimum wage certificate earned less than $3.50 an hour. In a report from NBC News, Goodwill Industries paid some workers with disabilities as little as 22 cents an hour, a brazen abuse of a legal loophole in the FLSA and a showcase of how the company undervalues its workers.

Senate Bill S28/Assembly Bill A1006 would eliminate these provisions, allowing New York to finally join the 18 other states that have passed legislation that has or will end subminimum wagework for people with disabilities. The legislation would also impact both New York City and State, as both have a significant population of residents living with disabilities. Approximately 11% of the City’s total population live with some type of disability, and approximately 26% of adults in the State live with disabilities. Researchers estimate that there are around 1,400 workers paid a subminimum wage, with a large portion of them classified as individuals with disabilities

The FLSA is more than 85 years old, and with it comes provisions that may be arguably antiquated. Enacted during the middle of World War II, the FLSA went into effect when the country experienced financial constraints and a shortage of the then-current workforce because of the draft for military service. While the intent of the subminimum wage was to ensure job opportunities for people with disabilities, it does not entirely account for the loopholes employers would go through to pay employees as little as possible for their work. Everyone deserves to seek and obtain dignified employment and be compensated fairly. It is time New York steps up and rids itself of this nearly-century-old ableist provision. I ask my colleagues to support my Resolution to push our State Legislators to finally do so

Thank you, Chair for hearing this piece of legislation as well, thank you.

With temperatures expected to be in the single digits in New York City today, Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams unveiled his annual Worst Landlord Watchlist, spotlighting and shaming the worst landlords in the city as determined by widespread and repeated violations in their buildings. 

Violations, as compiled and categorized by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, can include issues such as heat and hot water outages, rodent infestation issues, and collapsing infrastructure. At this time of year, heat and hot water outages account for a large proportion of violations, threatening the safety of New Yorkers facing extreme cold. This can lead to unsafe usage of space heaters in buildings, sparking deadly fires like those we have seen in the Bronx. Ved Parkash, landlord of the building that last week and displaced over 200, once topped the Worst Landlord Watchlist. 

The #1 Worst Landlord in the city is Barry Singer, who tops the list with an average of 1804 open violations across his buildings on the list for the period ending in November of 2024. While this is Singer’s first time topping the Public Advocate’s list, he has a long, documented history of egregious neglect and misconduct dating back decades.

Singer’s buildings have also been the subject of numerous heat complaints. Over the eight months of the heat season included in this year’s list, Singer received 121 heat/hot water complaints over his seven buildings on the list. In the same period, there were a total of 832 heat and hot water complaints at the buildings on the list owned by the ten worst landlords in the city.

“While the worst landlords in the city raise the rents instead of the temperature, tenants are being left in the cold,” said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams in releasing the list. “The people on this list are at best dangerously negligent, and at worst, actively choosing to profit off the pain of New Yorkers living in unsafe, deplorable conditions. Last year’s worst landlord has been to jail twice since the list was published, a clear message to owners of what their tenants deserve, and the consequences of their inaction. This list is a way to turn up the heat on bad actors so that we can get real accountability and change.”

The top five landlords on this year’s list are:

• Barry Singer, with an average of 1,804 HPD open violations
• Alfred Thompson, with an average of 1,285 HPD open violations 
• Karen Geer, with an average of 1,193 HPD open violations
• Melanie Martin, with an average of 1,132 HPD open violations 
• Claudette Henry, with an average of 1,130 HPD open violations 

View the full list of the 100 Worst Landlords, as well as the worst buildings in each borough, here. 

Issues with conditions broadly, and heat specifically, are not only among private landlords. The New York City Housing Authority has demonstrated an inability to improve conditions, and as of Tuesday afternoon, there were unplanned interruptions of heat or hot water at 4 developments, covering over 6,600 residents. In December of 2024, there were about 611,000 open work orders, an increase of over 35,000 from the previous year. Perpetual mismanagement of NYCHA and an inability to keep the heat on makes the city itself the worst overall landlord for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers.

Last year’s Worst Landlord, Daniel Ohebshalom, has been incarcerated twice since the 2023 list was released. This year’s #4 landlord, Melanie Martin, is head officer for much of Ohebshalom’s portfolio, much like last years #1 on the list, Jonathan Santana. As part of this year’s launch, the Public Advocate pushed for legislation that would enhance transparency of ownership to prevent these kinds of tactics.

To unveil the list, the Public Advocate held a virtual press conference, which can be seen here, before traveling to meet with tenants in a worst landlord building. Photos will be available here. He also directed New Yorkers to go to LandlordWatchlist.com to learn about whether their landlords are featured on the list, how to report violations, and access resources for tenants to organize and seek relief.

“Too often, in the face of this neglect, we are frozen. Whether the heat is out or not, we feel powerless. And I want New Yorkers to know that we do have power,” said Public Advocate Williams. “This week we celebrate one of the greatest organizers  of all time, including for housing justice, Dr. King. In his spirit and legacy, my office is committed to helping tenants organize and get what they demand and deserve. The Watchlist is a tool meant to inspire tenant organizing. We can’t sit frozen any longer, we need to get moving.”

This is the sixth Worst Landlord Watchlist from Public Advocate Williams, who is pursuing legislative solutions to the issues presented by the list, including the ‘Worst Landlord Law,’ which passed in 2023. A second bill, which is yet to pass, would require HPD to more quickly respond to and perform inspections of hazardous violations. Private landlords on the Worst Landlord Watchlist are ranked objectively according to data obtained by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). Landlords are ranked based on the average number of housing code violations open per month on their buildings on the watchlist, using data from December 2023 to November 2024. More on the methodology is available here.

View the full Worst Landlord Watchlist, and check to see if your address is owned by a 2024 worst landlord, by visiting LandlordWatchlist.com.

"Today our country marks the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by inaugurating a man and a movement who represent all that Dr. King stood against. I am sure that many people will attempt to misuse his words, from the National Mall to social media, but we cannot allow either the message of Dr. King or the dangers of the people coming into power today to be sanitized.

"In this moment of fear and uncertainty, of understandable mistrust of our leaders and many of our fellow Americans, I turn to the philosophies of Dr. King, and the need for action, and agitation, and perhaps most importantly, solidarity.

"When Brazil elected a dictator, a term used by the incoming president to describe himself; the opposition adopted a cry of ‘Ninguém solta a mão de ninguém’ – or, ‘No one let go of anyone’s hand.’ Dr. King proclaimed that “Either we go up together, or we go down together…Let us develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness.”

"In that spirit, today and in the days and years to come, we must rededicate ourselves to service toward one another. It will be a difficult period and a daunting challenge, but as Dr. King once rallied, “Now let us begin. Now let us re-dedicate ourselves to the long and bitter, but beautiful, struggle for a new world."

"Today is a critical moment, far too many months in the making. The pain of the heinous terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 has compounded for over a year, from the tens of thousands killed in Gaza to the fear and anger of New Yorkers in the streets. I am grateful for the respite this ceasefire offers, even temporarily. The halting of violence and return of hostages are what people from across our city and the world have prayed and protested for, for so long. Families will be reunited because of this deal, many will return home – even as the prolonged campaign of violence has left far, far too many without their homes or family members.

"My relief, though, comes with a wariness that this cessation is temporary – a potential path to peace, but not peace itself. This is progress that I hope can be sustained and built upon, even with a new administration coming into the White House. Lasting peace means safety and freedom for Israelis and for Palestinians – the movement for justice cannot end with this most recent conflict, but with solutions that address decades of pain and prevent it in the future. Dr. King said that ‘We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war, but the positive affirmation of peace,’ and that ‘True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.’ As we honor him this weekend, I pray that we can advance to justice."

"Entering a new session, state government has a responsibility to be responsive to the greatest concerns of New Yorkers – affordability and safety chief among them. At the same time, we can compromise in policy making without compromising our values.  Shift approaches without shifting the core convictions that form them. We can fully embrace strategies we know will work, instead of abandoning them halfway. With the coming federal administration, we must act without overreaction to political concerns. 

"There were proposals – pathways to proposals – to appreciate in the governor’s state of the state, which struck an important tone, including on free community college programs and childcare access. We have to see where those pathways lead. Similarly, tax cuts for working and middle class families are important. Whatever cuts in revenue are made, though, cannot be offset by cuts in services that New Yorkers rely on, especially when they are not paired with increased revenue raising from the wealthiest in our state. 

"Unfortunately, I'm concerned the governor may send us down the same path we have been down before on public safety, without rationale or results we've been seeking. How many more surges of law enforcement, including National Guard, will be sent into the subways? After each, we are told it worked, then told we need more because it didn’t. Increased officer presence may indeed make some feel more comfortable, it also won’t address the underlying issues like mental healthcare. We must focus critical resources on building out the infrastructure to extend care – not criminalization – to individuals in highest need. The greatest concern comes after they leave hospitalization -- or in worst cases, jail. Regardless of what some say, recidivism and mental health are not new, we've just continued to fail. I urge a focus on housing and wraparound services, not a cycle of commitment without compassion.

"Justice, health, and safety are not measured solely in conviction rates, and the state of our state is not reflected solely in polls. In the coming session, I hope the governor and legislature will use the seemingly endless headlines to make real, meaningful progress for all New Yorkers."

"As we prepare to hear from the mayor tomorrow in a critical moment, New Yorkers have to wonder which state of the city the mayor will report on, the one of a dire crisis where only he can save the city, or the one where he already has? 

“The true state of our city is somewhere between these two extremes, and most of the actions I have seen from this administration will not move us forward from that position. These speeches often set lofty goals that are directly contradicted by policy that follows, creating false hope and expectations.

“The real issues our city faces are not new, and particularly on public safety, this administration has appeared more interested in the optics of surging police and blaming bail reform than in the real work of investing in community health and safety. If the plan is to make real, lasting, positive change, I hope to hear an honest assessment, and solutions that match the complexity of our challenges." 

“This administration has a long way to go toward earning New Yorkers’ trust, and that work will take more than one speech. Trust will be essential as all of us in city government must collaborate to prevent the worst harm of the coming Trump years."