For Immediate Release:

May 1, 2026

500+ Workers Across Industries Rallied to Demand Mayor Mamdani Break from 

Governor Hochul and Stop the Violent 24-Hour Workdays

New York - More than 500 workers across industries and age rallied on May Day in front of City Hall to urge Mayor Mamdani to break from Governor Hochul, and instead stand with the working people’s agenda: to end the 24-hour workday, to win universal healthcare for all New Yorkers, and to stop displacement (no casinos, no jails, and more low-income housing). 

This rally built on the 7-day hunger strike and 5-week-long sit-in that home care workers waged between March 18 and April 23 after which Julie Menin committed to passing the No More 24 Act. Mayor Mamdani, who previously promised to pass No More 24 Act during his campaign, now works with Governor Hochul to stall the bill. Furious about Mayor Mamdani’s collusion with the Governor, who has been maintaining the 24-hour workday to benefit sweatshop bosses and insurance companies, working people across New York City came together to demand real accountability and a city we deserve.

Cai Qiong Liu, a home care worker who worked 24 hours for 9 years, said “During our hunger strike, Mayor Mamdani ignored us, and even today, is still working with Governor Hochul to block the bill! We’ve had enough of Mamdani’s hypocrisy—hiding behind a ‘socialist’ banner, while forcing women of color to work 24-hour workdays; planning to build a jail in Chinatown; and to forcibly demolish public housing in Chelsea. This destruction of people’s livelihoods is something we absolutely cannot tolerate!”

Luz Estrella, a home care worker who worked 24 hours for 12 years, said “Mayor Mamdani, break your relationship with that snake Hochul. Hochul is upholding this violent 24-hour workday and wants to steal from us: steal our health, our families and our wages. Mamdani cut your ties with Hochul. Don’t destroy our lives to enrich insurance companies. We will win! Mamdani - stand with the workers! Pass the No More 24 Act now!”

Christopher Marte, Councilmember for District 1, spoke to the crowd and said “Today we gather here to remind everyone that history will not be rewritten by those evil players who say “New York City is a workers’ town, NYC is a labor town” but do not stand with these workers. Call my Council Member colleagues, and tell them to look these workers in the eye, and to pass the No More 24 Act.”

Julie Won, Councilmember for District 26, said “‘Where are you at Zohran?’ As a legislator, as a council member, it is our job to keep the executives accountable. It is our job to say, ‘Hey Governor Hochul, do what’s right!’ ‘Hey, Mayor Mamdani, do what’s right!’ You stood here with us and said the very words, ‘No more 24!’ We will not forget what you promised us.”

Ron Kim, Assemblymember from District 40, said “It is easy and cowardly to pass the buck, but the buck must stop with the Mayor and the Governor. It’s easy to say, ‘it’s the state, it’s the insurance, it’s too complicated, i’ve got friends in nonprofits…’ that’s all bullshit. These workers are dying every day. It’s very simple. Too many people are making money off of your lives. Even though we can save billions of dollars for the State of New York, they do not want to end it because those billions of dollars are profits from their pockets that they want to keep.”

Bisma Punjani from DSA for No More 24 said, “DSA must fight alongside home care workers, where extreme long-hour work is the thing that shapes their lives, and resolve all the contradictions that stand between us and universal healthcare. We must allow space for the super exploited immigrants to raise the consciousness of the working class, to agitate from below, around the violence of our insurance regime that we ourselves are committed to resisting as socialists.”

Gloria Brandman, Secretary of United Federation or Teachers’ Retirees Chapter, said, “24-hour workday is a racist, sexist system that exploits immigrant women. And it is run by insurance companies — the same companies that are involved with the ongoing attempt to take away retired city workers' healthcare plans. I’m proud to report that at our last RTC Meeting, we passed the Resolution in Support of Intro 303 (“No More 24”) to End 24-Hour Shifts for Homecare Workers with 94% of the vote.”

Sarah Shapiro from Cross-union Retiree Organizing Committee said “The City and DC37, led by Henry Garrido, were trying to throw us off our traditional Medicare onto a for-profit crappy Medicare Advantage plan. The same union is getting in the way of what homecare workers need and deserve, a 12-hour shift paid in full, not a 24-hour shift while only getting paid for 13 hours. He should be protecting workers' rights, not promoting slavery.”

Rev. Elæ Moss Benedetto (Community Minister of Judson Memorial Church), Rev. Raquel Irizarry (NYS Poor People’s Campaign), Rev. Nozomi Ikuta (Social Justice Minister of Grace Congregational Church), Rev. Terry Todd, (Minister of Rivers of Living Water), representing interfaith leaders who signed on a letter urging the passage of No More 24 Act, said “It’s inhumane practice and it should be illegal. Health care for all New Yorkers will save billions of dollars. We call our insurance companies and real estate developers in collusion with our city government. Shame! We’re asking mayor Mamdani to do what is right and stand up for justice.”

John Mudd, from Chelsea Public-Housing Coalition and Midtown South Community Council, said “We’re a coalition trying to stop developers from demolishing public housing. So we all have a common enemy, Mamdani! He now represents the political class, the elite class, the ruling class, the developer class, the healthcare industrial complex, and he started to look a lot like our former Mayor Adams.” 

Noah Ng and Carlos Herrera from Working People for Queens, said “In Queens we already see Senator Jessica Ramos break with Hochul, come out to the hunger strike despite threats from big unions, stand against the mega casino, and fight for a working people's agenda! What’s stopping you from doing the same, Mamdani?”

Janice Henderson from New Kings Democrats, said “It seems Mayor Mamdani is taking a step back. He now wants language added to include ‘consent’ to work 24-hour shifts. I would like to ask him to take the place of a home care aide and walk in their shoes for a weekend, and see what it’s like. Then let’s see if the word ‘consent’ needs to be added to the bill.”

Michelle Keller, from NYC Organization of Public Sector Retirees, said “NYC Retirees stand in solidarity, reflecting on the very same underlying principles: New York City must not and cannot shift costs or burden onto retirees who earned their benefit nor workers whose daily labor and resilience sustains a broken healthcare system.”

Media Contact: 

Casey Robinson, 607-379-5189, homecareworkersagainst24@gmail.com

Zishun Ning, 347-845-8187