You are reading

Council Candidate Amit Bagga Gets Backing of Major Labor Unions, Releases Jobs Plan

Photo Courtesy of Amit Bagga

May 4, 2021 By Ryan Songalia

A city council candidate who received the backing of a number of major labor unions Saturday has released a jobs plan that he says will create 100,000 jobs in New York City.

The plan drawn up by Amit Bagga, candidate for city council district 26, aims to create jobs in the healthcare, education and climate sectors, while also addressing the city’s infrastructure and housing needs.

The proposal, known as A Fair Economy For All: Jobs and Justice for New Yorkers, was unveiled Saturday at a rally in Queensbridge Park in Long Island City. A number of unions endorsed Bagga, along with his plan, including District Council 37, Hotel Trades Council, New York State Nurses Association and 32BJ SEIU.

“District 26 is at the center of our city and at the crossroads of many challenges our city faces: fighting climate change; building green infrastructure; providing high-quality, publicly-funded healthcare; and equipping our workforce for the economy of the future,” said Bagga, a Sunnyside resident who is competing in a district that covers Sunnyside, Woodside, Long Island City and a section of Astoria.

The bulk of the job creation – an estimated 50,000-75,000 jobs – would come from funding investments in solar power for public and private buildings; retrofitting buildings for emissions reduction; and training apprenticeships for green technology careers.

“The types of jobs that would be created here range from architects to engineers to building service workers to mason tenders to bricklayers, glazers, policy experts, accountants, auditors, investigators, inspectors,” Bagga tells Queens Post.

The healthcare component of the plan would aim to create up to 15,000 jobs citywide, while establishing a birthing center and a publicly-funded health center in District 26.

Another 10,000 jobs would come from hiring educators to train the work force to do these new jobs. Bagga says this portion of the work force expansion would be paid for in part by passing legislation that would force New York University and Columbia University – both private schools that are currently tax exempt – to pay property taxes.

New York University and Columbia University are among the largest landowners in the city.

“We’ve gotta fight hard in the next city council to make sure they’re paying at least a portion of their fair share, which, given how large they are in terms of landlords, would be hundreds of millions of dollars a year,” Bagga said.

Also proposed is passing the “NYC’s Essential Workers Bill of Rights,” a bill that is sponsored by Council Member Brad Lander which would extend paid sick leave and whistle blower protections to gig workers.

“Here in New York City, it should not matter what type of tax form you file at the end of the year. You should have access to all of the rights and protections that all workers should have,” Bagga said.

The race to replace term-limited council member Jimmy Van Bramer remains a crowded field, but Bagga has picked up a number of progressive endorsements, including from State Sen. Jessica Ramos and the Working Families Party.

Bagga says the plan is to work on getting other city council candidates to co-sign his plan, just as nearly two dozen had for his plan to provide protections for food delivery workers.

email the author: news@queenspost.com

One Comment

Click for Comments 
LIC

Bagga is full of it. He has no idea how to create jobs, has no previous background in labor relations, and should of never been hired by the Deblasio administration in the first place place. He’s a bs artist, with no skills, no education LIC residents should be ashamed of themselves for voting for someone who is not even from the neighborhood and just recently moved there for his own benefit.

Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Fall fun in western Queens: Your guide to the best seasonal events

Aug. 29, 2025 By Jessica Militello

With beach days and summer BBQs behind us, the start of September rings in the start of magnificent Fall foliage, Halloween and more fun activities that come with the start of Autumn, including a list of Fall events in the area. From apple picking to seasonal ciders and more, there is tons to explore in the community. From Mystic Markets to scary movie meet-ups and more, here is a list of Fall events you do not want to miss.

MTA opens three new modernized elevators at the Queens Plaza subway station in Long Island City

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced the opening of three new modernized elevators at the Queens Plaza E/M/R subway station in Long Island City earlier this month as part of a larger accessibility and safety upgrades throughout the transit system.

The work included a full replacement of the cab and equipment within the cab, shaft and pit, along with two new elevator head houses located at street level. Crews also made modifications to the shaft and pit as needed to allow for new equipment. The elevator machine room and electrical and mechanical equipment received replacements and other modernization efforts for reliability.

Queens Together launches ‘Unofficial US Open Dining Guide’ encouraging fans to sample restaurants along the 7 line

Aug. 20, 2025 By Shane O’Brien

The US Open returns to Flushing Meadows Corona Park this Sunday, with more than 1 million attendees anticipated to take mass transit to the iconic annual tennis event. With hundreds of thousands of fans set to take the 7 out to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, there is a world of delicious local eateries lying beneath the elevated train tracks should any fan wish to stop en-route to the US Open.