Mamdani admin announces $1.8M settlement for fast-food workers in YouTube livestream

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: New York City’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, and his Department of Consumer and Worker Protections Commissioner, Sam Levine, announced a worker compensation settlement in a ‘mukbang’-style YouTube live stream on Tuesday, March 24.

Mukbang is a popular YouTube video format where hosts or participants discuss subject while eating a large amount of food.

Mamdani admin secures $1.8 million in restitution

The announcement was not made through a traditional method, but rather via a YouTube livestream, where Mayor Mamdani and Commissioner Levie announced a labour wage settlement of about $1.8 million while munching on Taco Bell and Dunkin.

Both Mamdani and Levie talk about the worker compensation settlement while scarfing down Crunchwrap Supremes, Baja Blasts, Munchkins and a Mexican-style pizza during a YouTube livestream.

They detailed the nearly $ 2 million settlement with two food industry giants that will provide compensation to over 830 workers to resolve violations of their rights under the Fair Workweek Law.

Mamdani thanks food workers

As he began to discuss the deal with two companies to pay compensation, Mayor said, “Thank you to the workers who made this,” while eating a Crunchwrap. The companies will pay a settlement to labors for rights violations like changing workers’ schedules arbitrarily and forcing employees to open stores right after closing them the previous night without paying them premiums.

“This city will not tolerate any corporation or franchisee that violates our Fair Workweek laws, or any of the labor protections that workers fought for and won. We will keep enforcing those laws, so that every New Yorker knows their rights and can count on this city to defend them,” Mamdani said.

Reporters asked to post questions in chat box

Reporters were not allowed to directly report the announcement as physical entry was banned; they were asked to post their questions in the chat box of the livestream video. However, the duo only responded to easy and trivial questions.

They also talked about filing an enforcement petition against QSR Management LLC, a Dunkin’ franchisee, for allegedly violating the rights of  nearly 1,000 workers under the Fair Work Week law and the Protected Time Off Law.

New Yorkers on Mayor’s move

Some New Yorkers did not seem as impressed with Mamdani’s non-traditional way of the workers’ rights settlement case announcement as they called the social media stunt ‘cringe.’ “I think it is cringe. It’s definitely cringe,” a 23-year-old college senior,  Ella Stern, was quoted as saying by the New York Post.

22-year-old, New York native Odelia Jesselson found Mamdani's social media stunt an attempt to connect with voters who feel disconnected from the political elite. “So I feel like he’s kind of, he’s being relatable and even cringe on purpose. I think that’s the strategy going forward. I feel like it’s working,” she said.