Requires prevailing wages for New York city service contracts to provide homecare services, day care services, head start services, services to persons with cerebral palsy, building services, food services or temporary services; removes references to living wage.
This bill, titled the "Close the Gap Act," amends New York City’s administrative code to replace the current living wage framework for certain city service contracts with a prevailing wage requirement. It applies to contractors and subcontractors providing homecare services, day care services, Head Start services, services to persons with cerebral palsy, building services, food services, and temporary services. Covered workers would have to be paid no less than the applicable prevailing wage, and in some cases contractors must also provide health benefits or an equivalent supplemental wage amount tied to those benefits.
The bill also updates related administrative provisions to reflect the shift from living wage terminology to prevailing wage terminology, including how rates are calculated, published, and incorporated into city contracts. It preserves existing exemptions for certain youth, trainees, and some disabled workers, and it retains anti-retaliation protections for employees who report violations or assert their rights under the section. The measure would take effect one year after enactment.
The bill would amend section 6-109 of the New York City Administrative Code, expanding and restructuring wage protections for workers on specified city service contracts. It would require city contractors and subcontractors in the covered service categories to pay prevailing wages and applicable supplements, and it would direct the comptroller and contracting agencies to publish and notify parties of updated prevailing wage rates. It also makes noncompliance a potential material breach of contract, allowing the city to pursue contractual remedies, including termination.
Based on the bill text and available context, the measure appears strongly pro-worker and intended to raise compensation standards for employees performing city-funded service work. There are no recorded committee transcripts or votes in the provided materials, so no formal opposition or support is documented in the legislative history here. The bill’s framing suggests an effort to close wage gaps and align pay more closely with prevailing labor standards in the city.
The main policy tension is the bill’s expansion of wage obligations for city service contractors, which could increase labor costs for providers of homecare, childcare, building, food, and temporary services. Another point of potential contention is the replacement of the living wage model with prevailing wage requirements, especially where the bill would require higher pay and supplements than current law. The homecare provisions may also be sensitive because they interact with collective bargaining agreements and funding conditions tied to state and federal reimbursement levels.