The legislation, which would have overhauled pay and conditions for home health aides working 24-hour shifts, had been her promise to a fellow Manhattan lawmaker during last year’s race for speaker. Three months into her stewardship of the 51-member body, that promise has become a political liability.
Menin has emerged as a prominent check on Mayor Zohran Mamdani, sparking several unwelcome controversies for the democratic socialist in just a short tenure. But the home health aide bill has stirred some of the most powerful forces in New York, including a major labor union, the mayor’s office, and Governor Kathy Hochul. Exactly the wrong enemies a new speaker wants to make en masse are all pushing back.
Nearly everyone involved agrees something needs to be done to help underpaid and overworked home health care workers pulling 24-hour shifts. But estimates of the bill’s cost have run into the hundreds of millions of dollars, and there are concerns over whether it would jeopardize patient safety. With the state trying to finalize its budget and the city’s finances in disarray, the opposition has been fierce.
During last year’s race for speaker, Menin struck a deal with Council Member Christopher Marte, the lower Manhattan lawmaker who has been almost singularly focused on boosting health aides. In exchange for his support, Menin pledged to help advance the bill that had, under previous Council leadership, failed to overcome a mountain of opposition. Now, with her word hanging in the balance, advocates have launched a no-holds-barred pressure campaign that included a hunger strike.
“Everyone bore witness to this promise,” said Yinghao Tan, a former 24-hour home care worker and advocate for the legislation. “Are you capitulating now to Mayor Mamdani? Are you bowing down to Governor Hochul?” The question underscores the precarious position Menin now occupies, caught between the labor and activist forces that helped elect her and the fiscal realities of a city and state in crisis.
Local political organizations want their loyalists to score plum committee assignments in exchange for a bloc of votes. Unions, which can help build key coalitions, are looking for a speaker who will have their back during legislative fights or contract negotiations. And members themselves might leverage their support for a particular committee post or help with a specific policy. The home health aide bill has become a test of Menin’s ability to navigate that treacherous political terrain.
Earlier this month, Menin pulled the bill from consideration. But her troubles are far from over. The path she charts forward will reveal much about a speakership still in its infancy and her ability to navigate the type of perilous political territory the mayor traverses on an almost daily basis. By extension, that will affect her ability to effectively temper her governing partner across City Hall.
