Department of Consumer and Worker Protection 'Got Stuff Done' in 2024 | City of New York

Consumer and Worker Protection


Department of Consumer and Worker Protection 'Got Stuff Done' in 2024

December 20, 2024

NEW YORK, NY – Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga today celebrated the end of the year by looking back at some of DCWP’s accomplishments in protecting and enhancing the daily economic lives of New Yorkers in 2024.

“From day one, our administration has focused on creating a safer, more affordable New York City. In 2024, we continued to deliver on that vision and ‘Get Stuff Done’ for working-class New Yorkers,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “Thanks to our extraordinary public servants, America’s safest big city got even safer this year, with overall crime down and thousands of illegal guns, mopeds, and ghost cars taken off city streets. We passed historic legislation to turn New York into a ‘City of Yes,’ shattered affordable housing records once again, and put billions of dollars back into New Yorkers’ pockets. We broke records for the most jobs and small businesses in city history and moved millions of trash bags off our sidewalks and into containers. But we know that there is even more we can do to continue to uplift working-class families. As we look to the future, our administration remains committed to keeping New Yorkers safe and making our city more affordable for the millions of New Yorkers who call our city home.”

“From holding predatory businesses and employers who violate our laws accountable, to raising the wages of some of the city’s hardest workers and securing relief for consumers, we are proud of the work we’ve done this year to support our neighbors,” said DCWP Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga. “We look forward to 2025 and helping even more New Yorkers to create thriving communities across our city.”

DCWP Highlights from 2024 include:

Raising the Wages of App-Based Restaurant Delivery Workers: In April, DCWP celebrated the first annual increase in the Minimum Pay Rate for third-party app-based restaurant delivery workers. Since apps began paying the minimum pay rate, delivery workers have earned $500 million more compared to the year before.

Securing Justice for Workers: In 2024, DCWP secured nearly $7 million in relief for more than 7,000 workers whose employers violated their worker rights, including from major companies like Taco Bell, Amazon, Domino’s Pizza, Starbucks, Cava and more. DCWP also educated workers on their rights in the workplace by releasing an updated comprehensive and multilingual Workers’ Bill of Rights. The new version summarizes additional laws and includes state and federal laws that protect workers and job applicants in New York City, regardless of immigration status. In 2024, DCWP held more than 250 workers’ rights events with over 34,000 attendees.

Ten Years of Protecting New Yorkers’ Right to Take Paid Safe and Sick Leave: April marked the 10-year anniversary of the city’s landmark Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law, which offers more than 3.8 million employees in NYC the legal right to take paid leave from work to care for themselves and their families. Since 2014, DCWP has received more than 4,000 complaints about potential violations of the law and closed more than 2,900 investigations, securing nearly $24 million in restitution for nearly 68,000 workers.

Holding Predatory Business Accountable for Harming Consumers: From securing $1.5 million in restitution for consumers duped by used car dealership group 26 Motors, to obtaining $600,000 from R.G. Ortiz Funeral Homes for grieving families whose traumas were exploited, DCWP made businesses pay for violating the city’s laws and harming consumers. DCWP also nailed it to unlicensed and unscrupulous businesses through the Home Improvement Contractor Wall of Shame, winning a court order against Big Johns Roofing to stop their preying on consumers, and stopping popular parking app, Way.com, from allowing unlicensed parking lots to use their site to trick consumers into parking in their unsafe properties. DCWP also issued a new rule to protect consumers from businesses who scam consumes with claims of “certified preowned” products.

Protecting Consumers from Uncertified Lithium-Ion Batteries: Last year, DCWP began enforcing the law requiring that all micromobility devices – like electric bicycles – and the batteries they use that are sold, leased, or rented in NYC must be certified by an accredited testing laboratory. This past year, DCWP has issued 107 summonses to brick-and-mortar and 23 summonses to online retailers for violating the law. In September, DCWP gained the authority to padlock – or close – brick-and-mortar retailers for repeatedly violating this law.

Safeguarding NYC’s Youth from the Dangers of Illegal Tobacco and E-Cigarettes: Since the beginning of the year, DCWP independently shut down over 80 unlicensed smoke shops and other businesses illegally selling tobacco and electronic cigarettes, collecting almost $500,000 in penalties owed to the city. DCWP has prioritized closing dedicated smoke shops that have a history of violating NYC laws prohibiting the sale of tobacco and electronic cigarettes to minors and the sale of illegal flavored products.

Helping New Yorkers Keep Their Hard-Earned Money: In 2024, DCWP’s financial counseling services, including Financial Empowerment Centers, helped more than 11,000 New Yorkers reduce their debt by $10.8 million and increase their savings by $1.5 million. And throughout this past tax season, NYC Free Tax Prep providers helped file more than 100,000 tax returns, saving New Yorkers more than $32 million in filing fees and helping filers keep their full refund. In November, DCWP also held a Public Hearing on Youth Financial Empowerment to learn about the financial challenges youth face to inform future work.

The NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP)—formerly the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA)—protects and enhances the daily economic lives of New Yorkers to create thriving communities. DCWP licenses more than 45,000 businesses in more than 40 industries and enforces key consumer protection, licensing, and workplace laws that apply to countless more. By supporting businesses through equitable enforcement and access to resources and, by helping to resolve complaints, DCWP protects the marketplace from predatory practices and strives to create a culture of compliance. Through its community outreach and the work of its offices of Financial Empowerment and Labor Policy & Standards, DCWP empowers consumers and working families by providing the tools and resources they need to be educated consumers and to achieve financial health and work-life balance. DCWP also conducts research and advocates for public policy that furthers its work to support New York City’s communities. For more information about DCWP and its work, call 311 or visit DCWP at nyc.gov/dcwp or on its social media sites, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Media Contacts:
Michael Lanza / Stephany Vasquez Sanchez
Department of Consumer and Worker Protection
(212) 436-0042
press@dcwp.nyc.gov