It’s criminal.
An ill-conceived “worker safety” bill introduced by far-left state Sen. Jessica Ramos, a supporter of bail reform and defund-the-police, would saddle small businesses with hundreds of thousands of dollars of security mandates to combat rampant retail crime caused by the very policies she has pushed and promoted, critics told The Post.
The “Retail Worker Safety Act” would require retail shops to assess their stores for violent crime risks before developing and implementing plans for protecting their employees, such as installing better outside lighting and using drop safes.
Businesses would also be required to have staff undergo safety training, and stores hit by violent attacks would be forced to hire a security guard, according to the incendiary legislation introduced Monday.
The measure would also require employers to document and report violent workplace incidents, while those with 50-plus employees must install panic buttons.
“This need for security is because of her,” said a disgusted Francisco Marte, founder of the Bodega and Small Business Association of New York, which reps over 3,000 Big Apple storefronts. “Progressives have turned the city into chaos.”
Marte, who owns three bodegas in Norwood and Grand Concourse, predicted the bill’s mandates would cost “hundreds of thousands of dollars” that small business owners can’t afford.
“To be in compliance many stores will have to close down,” he said.
“It’s another [case of] blame the victim,” said Kenneth Giddon, co-owner of Rothmans men’s clothing store in Manhattan. “We’re getting robbed, and it’s our fault.”
Giddon estimated the new legislation could run him well over $200,000, citing the cost of hiring a security guard during the store’s off-hours as well as paying a company to lead safety training for his staff twice a year.
The beleaguered businessman slammed Ramos’ bill as “offensive,” explaining that many retailers like himself are already doing all they can to keep staff safe in addition to minimizing job-crushing revenue losses to thieves.
“Retail workers are on the front lines of violence in our society,” reads Ramos’ legislation. “Many employers have not done enough to take responsibility for the health and safety of their employees.”
But Ramos, a Democrat repping Jackson Heights, Woodside, and Elmhurst in Queens, has for years helped keep robbers out of jail and fewer cops on the streets, critics charged.
The legislation she co-sponsored in 2019 notoriously eliminated cash bail for nonviolent felonies, in addition to burdening prosecutors with onerous discovery requirements that have led to a massive spike in case dismissals.
In June 2020 she pushed for fewer cops, saying, “I have been vocal about the need to defund the NYPD and decrease police presence in our neighborhoods, especially given law enforcement’s abuse of power and mistreatment toward our communities of color.”
That summer, she also took aim at the MTA’s plan to hire 500 additional cops, telling Politico New Yorkers didn’t “need somebody with a gun to solve problems on the subway.”
Shoplifting complaints citywide soared 55.9%, to 59,137 last year compared to just 37,922 in 2019, according to NYPD data. Robberies also jumped 26.4%, from 13,371 in 2019 to 16,902 in 2023.
“She’s creating these crimes, all these policies that make crimes thrive,” said Carlos Collado, who owns two grocery stores in the Bronx and Manhattan. “We can have all the security measures in the world, but if they keep making policies to encourage crimes, we’re pouring water in a bottomless barrel here.”
Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt (R-North Tonawanda) tore into the bill as the latest example of leftists “trying to put a band-aid on a bullet wound” thanks to their own short-sighted policies.
“In typical fashion, the Democrats refuse to acknowledge their own mistakes and instead of fixing the bigger issue, will pass the problem and the cost onto small business owners and taxpayers,” Ortt said.
Ramos’ legislation echoes a bill passed in California last year, which requires practically all employers to create a plan for addressing workplace violence.
Employees are also required to undergo training for their plans, and business owners must document violent incidents at the workplace.
Ramos did not respond to requests for comment.
The bill, which is currently in the Labor Committee chaired by Ramos, currently has two co-sponsors, Democratic Senators Jeremy A. Cooney and James Skoufis.
Additional reporting by Dean Balsamini
