(NEW YORK CITY) - Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced he would veto a City Council Bill criticized by Unions representing Academic Workers that would have tasked the NYPD to erect “security perimeters” around Educational Facilities across New York City.

Intro 175-B's critics warned the Bill would stifle free speech and possibly affect the ability of Unions to picket and organize.  

In a statement announcing his veto, Mamdani said the “problem” with the Bill is that it defines Educational Institutions too broadly as well as the “Constitutional concerns it raises regarding New Yorkers’ fundamental right to protest.” 

“This could impact Workers protesting ICE or college students demanding their school divest from fossil fuels or demonstrating in support of Palestinian rights,” Mamdani said. “(Int. 175-B) is not a narrow public safety measure, it is a piece of legislation that has alarmed much of the Labor Movement, Reproductive Rights Groups and Immigration Advocates, among others, across this City. Nearly a dozen Unions have raised the alarm about its impact on their ability to organize.” 

The Mayor added he would allow a similar law that applies to Houses of Worship, and that passed the Council by a much larger margin than the Bill on Educational Institutions, to come into effect. 

Professional Staff Congress (PSC) of City of New York (CUNY) President James Davis, who was one of several outspoken Union Leaders opposing the Bill, praised Mamdani for vetoing the legislation: “Mayor Mamdani proved himself a champion of students, Faculty and Staff once again when he vetoed (Intro 175-B). This ‘Buffer Zone” Legislation would jeopardize First Amendment Rights to free expression for all New Yorkers irrespective of religion, race or nationality, imposing new restrictions near any vaguely defined ‘educational facilities.’ That includes CUNY Campuses, which are worksites and sites of political expression” 

The PSC was one of more than 200 local groups to send a letter to Mamdani urging him to veto the legislation.

The City reported Labor Leaders from more than a half-dozen Unions and the New York City AFL-CIO Central Labor Council had met with City Hall Officials via video call to urge Mamdani to veto the Bill. 

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