Jersey City was built by working class people. Its future depends on ensuring that every worker can build a stable, dignified life. Yet too many of our residents face unpredictable schedules, unfair firings, unsafe conditions, and wages that fail to keep pace with the cost of living. 

Jersey City must use every tool at its disposal to protect its workers and strengthen our economy in turn. As Mayor, James will make raising labor standards a core priority of his administration. He will establish fair workweek rules to give workers control over their schedules, implement just cause protections to prevent arbitrary firings, set higher prevailing wage standards, and more. Together, these reforms will ensure that Jersey City continues to attract new businesses and investment, and that its prosperity is shared by the working people that make our city thrive. As Mayor, James will:

Champion a fair workweek law to ensure every worker has a predictable schedule. Too many workers face increasingly variable and unpredictable work schedules. Unpredictable schedules can mean unpredictable pay. And unpredictable or inflexible schedules can complicate child care, medical care, and other critical aspects of life. As Mayor, James will champion a fair workweek law in Jersey City–the first in the state–to give working families the stability they deserve. The law will include a number of key requirements, including that employers must post work schedules in advance, provide good-faith estimates of schedules at the time of hire, and pay employees for last-minute schedule changes. It will also give employees the right to request flexible scheduling options without repercussions, as well as a right to scheduling accommodations for caregiving, education, or health reasons. James will work closely with the Council and the community to identify industries and employers, like retail, hospitality, and service work, that are most in need of these protections.

Preference entities that do not use forced arbitration for city contracts. Increasingly, companies require their employees to sign forced arbitration clauses, which prevent individuals from suing in court when their rights are violated. Instead, these workers have to sue in a private, secret forum called arbitration, where workers consistently have worse outcomes than their counterparts in court. Realistically, many workers do not have the power to demand that their employer removes arbitration clauses. And worse, many workers do not even know when they have signed an arbitration clause. The Supreme Court has held that no state or city can outright ban arbitration. However, in order to protect our city’s workers, as Mayor, James will implement a policy that preferences entities for city contracts that do not require any workers to submit to arbitration. This policy may incentivize companies to drop exploitative arbitration clauses altogether, and it will send the message that every person deserves access to a fair and transparent court system when their rights are violated.

Support affordable and workforce housing so that working people can afford to call Jersey City home. Supporting working people means making sure they afford to live and stay in our city. But in the last decade, the average rent in Jersey City has increased 50%, or roughly $1,100 more per month. To slow down this trend, James has released a detailed housing plan that includes proposals to create many more truly affordable housing units, and to build workforce housing for first responders, teachers, and healthcare workers. James’ housing plan also includes creating robust protections for renters, like fighting egregious rent hikes, actually enforcing rent control, and banning brokers fees, as well as providing down-payment and home-repair financial assistance. 

Create a heat protection law to safeguard employees who work outdoors or in high-heat environments. Temperatures are rising, and climate change disproportionately threatens the most vulnerable individuals and communities in our city. To protect workers in outdoor and indoor high-heat environments, like  construction, landscaping, warehousing, delivery, and food service, James will champion a heat protection law. The law will require employers to provide shaded or cooled rest areas, and mandatory rest breaks when temperatures reach unsafe levels, and access to potable water. Employers will also be required to implement heat illness prevention plans, provide training on recognizing and responding to heat-related illness, and maintain records of incidents and protective measures. 

Fight for state legislation to expand local labor enforcement authority and remedies. James will do everything within the city’s power to protect and empower our local workforce. But he will also push state lawmakers to pass legislation expanding local labor enforcement authority, so that the city can do even more. Legally, the city can currently create some additional protections for workers, but the city can only charge minimal fines for violations of those rules. James will push for state legislation that will allow the city not only to pass its own local labor laws, but also meaningfully enforce those laws and collect serious damages and penalties. After securing this additional authority, James will create local staff, including an attorney and investigator, dedicated to labor enforcement.