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Page 14 - The Indian EYE 041726
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    North                       The Indian Eye

                              AMERICANNewsline

             14                                                                                                                  APRIL 17, 2026

            Mayor Mamdani’s First 100 Days:

                Money Back, Childcare Forward

                  New York mayor pairs aggressive worker protections with ambitious childcare

                                                       expansion in early policy push

            OUR BUREAU                                                                                            agenda. In a parallel announcement,
                                                                                                                  the mayor confirmed that most 2-K
            NEW YORK, NY
                                                                                                                  seats will transition to a full-day, full-
                n  his  first  100  days  in  office,                                                             year model beginning this fall, oper-
               Zohran Kwame Mamdani has                                                                           ating from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., 260
            Imoved to combine economic                                                                            days a year.
            enforcement with social policy ex-                                                                       “For many families working nine
            pansion, securing $9.3 million in res-                                                                to five, an eight to three program isn’t
            titution for workers and consumers                                                                    going to cut it,” Mamdani said. “For
            while launching a sweeping overhaul                                                                   too long, parents have been forced to
            of early childcare aimed at easing the                                                                choose between their livelihood and
            city’s affordability crisis.                                                                          their children… That ends now.”
                Announcing   the   measures                                                                           The  move  marks  a  significant
            alongside Deputy Mayor Julie Su                                                                       shift from the traditional 180-day
            and  Department  of  Consumer  and                                                                    school calendar and is designed to
            Worker Protection Commissioner                                                                        align early childhood education with
            Samuel A.A. Levine, the administra-                                                                   the needs of working families. Rep-
            tion framed its early record as a di-                                                                 resenting a majority of the first 2,000
            rect intervention in rising living costs                                                              seats available this fall, the new mod-
            and what it described as corporate                                                                    el is expected to reduce reliance on
            overreach.                        the city claimed that major platforms   nation-leading ban on hotel junk fees   patchwork childcare arrangements
               “New Yorkers have lived too long   Uber and DoorDash were responsi-  and strengthened debt collection   that often strain household finances.
            with one set of rules for the wealthy   ble for $550 million in lost wages for   rules,  measures projected  to save   Schools Chancellor Kamar Sam-
            and well-connected, and another for   delivery workers, underscoring the   consumers tens of millions of dol-  uels described the rollout as a struc-
            everyone else,” Mamdani said. “We   scale of alleged violations.    lars annually. Economists estimate   tural reform. “This is a historic mo-
            are putting money back in people’s    At the same time,  enforcement   that the crackdown on hidden hotel   ment… to build an early child care
            pockets and holding corporations ac-  actions extended across sectors. The   charges alone could save New York-  and education system that is truly
            countable.”                       city filed lawsuits against a Bronx tow   ers more than $46 million in 2026.  universal, equitable, and tailored
                The $9.3 million recovered since   truck operator, a solar panel compa-  Commissioner Levine highlight-  around the real needs of the families
            January 1 reflects a broader enforce-  ny and a publicly traded self-storage   ed the direct impact of these steps.  we serve,” he said.
            ment push that includes settlements,   firm,  while  issuing  nearly  60,000  “Restitution checks, one less junk fee,   The 2-K initiative is part of a
            litigation and regulatory action.   compliance notices to businesses.  free income tax preparation—make   broader push to guarantee child-
            Among  the  most  significant  out-  These included warnings targeting   a real difference in people’s lives,” he   care for children aged six weeks to
            comes were agreements with compa-  so-called “subscription traps” at   said, adding that the agency would   five  years.  The  administration  has
            nies that will deliver more than $1.8   gyms and deceptive practices in the   continue to use “every rulemaking   already taken steps in that direction,
            million to fast food and retail work-  tax preparation industry.    and  enforcement  tool” to  prevent   including a $1.2 billion investment in
            ers for violations of the Fair Work-  Deputy Mayor Su said the ad-  exploitation.                     Pre-K and 3-K announced with Gov-
            week Law, building on a $5 million   ministration’s approach was deliber-  Complementing these actions is   ernor Hochul, the addition of 1,000
            settlement with delivery platforms   ately interventionist. “We are not a   an expansion of the city’s Free Tax   new 3-K seats, and the acceleration
            including Uber Eats, Fantuan and   neutral actor in the fight against cor-  Prep program, expected to process   of an early childhood education cen-
            HungryPanda.                      ruption and exploitation – we have   more than 100,000 returns this year   tre on the Upper East Side.
                The administration also moved   the power and the will to take on   and save residents tens of millions of   As his administration crosses
            aggressively against what it described   these fights, and win,” she said, add-  dollars. The service is available both   the 100-day mark, the early record
            as exploitation in the gig economy. In   ing that the measures aim to restore   in-person and virtually across more   suggests a strategy that blends reg-
            addition to financial settlements, au-  public faith in government’s ability   than 140 locations for eligible house-  ulatory activism with social invest-
            thorities secured the reinstatement   to deliver tangible benefits.  holds.                           ment—an approach that seeks not
            of up to 10,000 delivery workers and   Regulatory changes have accom-   Alongside economic enforce-   only to return money to residents
            filed  a  lawsuit  against  delivery  plat-  panied enforcement. The adminis-  ment, Mamdani has placed child-  but also to reduce the costs they
            form Motoclick. Data released by   tration introduced what it called a   care at the centre of his affordability   face in the first place.

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