Unions Across NYC Testify To Council Against Airbnb-Backed Bills That Would Roll Back NYC's Housing Laws

NEW YORK, NY (11/21/2025) (readMedia)-- Yesterday, labor groups representing hundreds-of-thousands of New York City workers testified before the NYC Council's Housing Committee in opposition to Airbnb-backed bills Intro 948 and Intro 1107, warning that the legislation would worsen the housing crisis and strip thousands of homes from New Yorkers.

The labor organizations testifying against Airbnb included:

• Uniformed Fire Officers Association
• 32BJ SEIU
• International Union of Operating Engineers Local 211
• New York City Central Labor Council
• Hotel & Gaming Trades Council
  

In their testimonies, labor leaders highlighted serious concerns with the Airbnb measures and called on Council Members to stand with tenants, working-class families, and the stability of New York City's housing market by rejecting Intro 1107 and Intro 948A.

Remarks from the labor unions who testified against Airbnb are below:

Uniformed Fire Officers Association said: "The Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York, Local 94, IAFF, AFL-CIO ("UFA") strongly opposes both Proposed Int. No. 948-A and Proposed Int. No. 1107-A, as both proposals seek to deregulate codes in such a way that increases risk to the safety of property and human life, both of civilians and of the first responders tasked with protecting life and property."

32BJ SEIU said: "Intros 948 and 1107 would undermine the City's previous efforts to address the negative consequences of the influx of short-term rentals in our communities. Prior to the passage of Local Law 18, the short-term rental crisis had taken thousands of units off the market. Communities of color were disproportionately affected by neighborhood displacement and increased rents. The growth of illegal short-term rentals also threatened hospitality jobs, which, like building service jobs, provide stable employment and fair wages to tens of thousands of workers... For these reasons, we urge the City Council to vote no on Intros 948 and 1107."

Allied Building Inspectors Local 211 IUOE said: "Allied Building Inspectors Local 211 IUOE is opposed to the passage of Int. No.948-A & Int. No.1107-A due to public safety concerns such as potential fire hazards being created under this law by restricting access to secondary means of egress in 1 and 2 family homes by allowing hosts to lock internal doors in the home and not requiring the host to be present during a short-term rental. This endangers the renter, the general public at large and the Civil Servants who would have to respond in the event of an emergency such as a fire or for 311 complaint inspections... Local 211 strongly urges this Committee to not move forward with Int. No. 948-A & Int. No. 1107-A."

Central Labor Council said: "Int. 948-A and Int. No. 1107-2024A would strip away the existing structure and appears to create a problem in search of a solution. Removing the host-presence rule would effectively turn one- and two-family houses into full-time short-term rentals... It should be noted this proposal mirrors the lobbying agenda and economic interests of large, short-term rental platforms that have spent years seeking mechanisms to weaken local laws, and grow their market-share. We've seen the impact of these platforms on communities across America, and must not allow the same adverse consequences to impact working New Yorkers. Local Law 18 reflects the Council's deliberate balance; it permits true home-sharing, while preventing the return of unregulated hotel operations. We must not allow the law to weaken, and Int. 948-A, along with Int. No. 1107-2024A, would unravel that balance."

The Hotel & Gaming Trades Council said: "Local Law 18 established a registration and enforcement system to ensure short-term rentals are small-scale, owner-hosted, and safe. Proposed Int. 948-A would gut that framework by authorizing unhosted rentals and expanding occupancy limits, making enforcement nearly impossible... Proposed Int. No. 948-A represents a serious step backward for New York City's housing policy. At a moment when New Yorkers are confronting record rents, inflation, and a worsening housing shortage, the City Council must focus on preserving long-term housing and job opportunities- not weakening them."

Background

Since the implementation of Local Law 18, Airbnb has unsuccessfully spent millions to fund pro-Airbnb candidates and push legislation that would roll back regulations on short-term rentals and undermine tenant protections. After failing to pass Intro 1107, they are now pivoting to an even more extreme version of the anti-tenant, anti-housing bill the Council already rejected. Airbnb's new bill, Intro 948-A, includes everything in the old bill and goes even further by removing the host requirement for Airbnbs and changing the definition of a family under the city's housing code.

Airbnb is using deceptive tactics to try and convince lawmakers to pass their dangerous legislation before a new Council and Mayor can stop them - even though a new report clearly demonstrates that these measures will raise rents and home prices while displacing the very working class families Airbnb claims to be protecting.

At the same time that Airbnb is exploiting the concerns of marginalized New Yorkers, Airbnb is cozying up with Trump and MAGA Republicans who are attacking the same communities they claim to support. The company donated over $3 million to Trump and MAGA Republicans, while their leadership has referred to immigrants as "criminals" and openly worked with the Trump administration.