“Make ‘Em Pay” Will Hold Corporate Lawbreakers Accountable and Recover $1.5 Billion for New York City
The launch event, held in Lower Manhattan, brought together over 100 advocates, workers, tenants, and elected officials to call for stronger enforcement and accountability measures as part of the City’s FY27 budget process.
At a time when New Yorkers are facing rising costs and the City confronts ongoing budget gaps, advocates emphasized that New York City is owed at least $1.5 billion in unpaid penalties from large corporations and bad-actor landlords—revenue that could be reinvested in essential services.
“New Yorkers follow the rules every day, but too many large corporations break the law without consequences,” said Zara Nasir, Executive Director of The People’s Plan NYC. “Make ’Em Pay is about fairness—ensuring that corporate lawbreakers are held accountable and that the City collects the revenue it is already owed to fund the services our communities rely on.”
Speakers at the launch included Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams, Council Member Harvey Epstein, and representatives from worker, housing, and education organizations, including the Worker Justice Project, Alliance for Neighborhood Housing Development, Met Council on Housing, and the Alliance for Quality Education. The Members of the Progressive Caucus of the City Council are also supporting the budget measures.
“Earlier this week, our Caucus proudly voted to adopt ‘Make em Pay’ as one of our priority FY27 budget campaigns,” says New York City Council Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Sandy Nurse and Tiffany Cabán. “It’s clear we’re in a budget crunch in NYC and, while Albany certainly needs to step up, we can do a lot here at home. We appreciate TPP’s extensive proposal that aims to claw back the hundreds of millions of dollars we leave on the table for the benefit of bad landlords and exploitative corporations. We look forward to championing this sensible proposal that centers corporate accountability and fiscal responsibility. Let’s make em pay.”
“New Yorkers are done footing the bill while lawbreaking corporations get away with it,” said Consumer & Worker Protections Chair and Council Member Harvey Epstein. “The city is owed at least $1.5 billion in unpaid penalties from bad-actor landlords and corporations that undermine consumer and worker protections, and it’s time to collect. We need additional resources to provide effective enforcement.”
“Every day Council is working to close the city’s $5 Billion budget gap without burdening working families who rely on critical services, and we’ve seen that we have an opportunity to close it the right way. Billions of dollars in uncollected fines are owed by corporations and bad-actor landlords. Instead of squeezing the people already doing the right thing, we need to go after the ones who don’t. It’s time to Make ‘Em Pay,” said Sanitation Chair and Council Member Justin Sanchez.
The campaign proposes a comprehensive set of budget and policy solutions, including:
- Hire more enforcement staff across key agencies
- Strengthen collections and reduce backlogs
- Increase legal capacity to pursue large violators
- Close loopholes that allow violators to get away with breaking the law and strengthen policies to increase accountability
Advocates say these measures could generate new revenue for the City and help fund critical services like housing, education, worker protections, and community safety.
“At a time of deep inequality, working New Yorkers face rampant wage theft and rising costs while billion-dollar corporations like DoorDash and Uber Eats profit from exploiting deliveristas. That’s why the Workers Justice Project is joining the ‘Make ’Em Pay’ campaign—to enforce the laws on the books, hold corporations accountable, and reinvest in enforcement and protections for low-wage workers who power our economy. Corporations owe billions in unpaid wages and fines—money that belongs in workers’ pockets and should be funding public services. New Yorkers follow the law every day. It’s time corporations do too,” said Ligia Guallpa, Executive Director, Workers Justice Project.
“We are calling on the city to enforce the laws that have been put in place to ensure tenants can live in safe and healthy homes. For far too long, the worst landlords have gotten away with both failing to do adequate repairs and paying the subsequent fines issued to them. Increasing our staff capacity across key city agencies, closing loopholes that allow violators to get away with breaking the law and increasing our legal capacity to go after the bad actors will create a more safe, just and just city for all,” said Izzy Sanchez Campaign Coordinator ANHD.
“We need funding for our schools to continue efforts like early childhood education outreach, immigrant family outreach, mental health supports, and providing transportation for students in foster care. Our wealthy city has the money to pay for these critical services, by Albany taxing the rich, then by City Hall reigning in corporate bad actors to pay their fines that would amount to over a billion dollars,” said Zakiyah Shaakir Ansari, co-executive director of the Alliance for Quality Education.
“Public education is the bedrock of our democracy, and if we value education, then we need to fully fund it. New York City has an abundance of wealth, and we can rein in more funds by making corporate bad actors pay what’s owed to our city,” said a representative of New Yorkers for Racially Just Public Schools.
The “Make ’Em Pay” campaign builds on years of organizing through the People’s Budget, a coalition-driven effort that has helped secure more than $1.5 billion in restored and new funding for essential services since 2022.
The coalition is calling on the New York City Council and the Administration to adopt these proposals as part of the FY27 budget and work with advocates to close loopholes and strengthen accountability for corporate bad actors and slumlords.
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