New York City Mayor Announces POWER Act: Workers, Consumers and Tenants Would Gain a Private Right to Sue Over Unfair Business Practices
NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Samuel A.A. Levine announced the planned introduction of the POWER (People and Organizations Winning Economic Relief) Act, legislation that would create a municipal private right of action and, in the administration's words, make New York City's consumer and worker protection laws the strongest in the country.
The bill would allow tenant unions to sue landlords for deceptive trade practices; allow taxi drivers to sue financing companies over unconscionable loan terms; allow consumers scammed by predatory for-profit schools to seek loan relief; and allow nonprofits to bring claims on behalf of themselves, their members and the public. Under current city law, individuals can sue only over deception, and state law likewise does not allow suits over unfair or abusive practices; the POWER Act would close that gap, covering unfair methods of competition and unfair, deceptive, abusive or unlawful practices, such as overcharging rent.
"The POWER Act will enable tenant unions to take landlords to court and win back wrongfully withheld security deposits. It will allow local small businesses who face competition from corporate giants to file suit for unfair business practices. It will empower seniors who lose hundreds of millions of dollars every year through targeted scams to get the justice they are owed," said Mayor Mamdani. The bill was to be introduced on his behalf by Committee Chair Harvey Epstein at the City Council stated meeting on October 8.
Mayor Mamdani also introduced two companion bills: the Truth in Pricing Act, which simplifies the city's pricing display rules so owners can display prices on the item or on the shelf, and a Consumer Protection Law amendment removing a lengthy rulemaking requirement so DCWP can act faster against unconscionable business practices. DCWP Commissioner Levine called the POWER Act one of the single greatest expansions of consumer and worker rights in New York City history. The legislation remains subject to City Council action.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：纽约市政厅（2025年9月摄）。Nielsoncaetanosalmeron 摄，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons 发布。/ New York City Hall, photographed in September 2025. Photo by Nielsoncaetanosalmeron, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
