Get Involved

Dear Members of the New York State Assembly and Senate:

A fair economy is key to justice for all. Fair Deal NY is fighting for the right to live our lives without fear of exploitation. We are labor, legal services and other community-based organizations coming together to end abusive and unfair business practices in New York. We demand a fair deal: update New York’s consumer protection law to protect New Yorker's.

New Yorkers have little recourse against predatory businesses because unlike 42 other states, New York bans deceptive, but not unfair and abusive, business practices. 

This glaring oversight makes New York a hotbed for schemes that trap people in financial distress. Student loan servicers can steer borrowers to the most expensive repayment plans when better options exist. Nursing homes can shake down relatives to pay patients’ bills. Debt collectors can manipulate seniors into giving up their limited, protected income. And landlords have a free hand to abuse and harass tenants. 

New York’s “anything goes” policy harms not only individuals, but also small businesses, nonprofit organizations, and the honest businesses put at a competitive disadvantage. Moreover, because unscrupulous business practices disproportionately target and extract wealth from people of color, racial justice requires a fair economy for all.

To that end, the Legislature should amend New York General Business Law § 349 (“GBL § 349”), which has not been updated in over 40 years to:

  1. Ban unfair and abusive business conduct;

  2. Protect small businesses;

  3. Impose real consequences for harm by raising the penalty from $50 to $1,000; 

  4. Improve access to justice by allowing class actions; and

  5. Allow nonprofit organizations to prevent public harm by holding companies accountable for their unfair, abusive, and deceptive acts. 

We need to set a higher standard and ensure that the law can be enforced in a way to protect the most vulnerable, freeing up government regulators to focus on large investigations and industry reform. A meaningful remedy is also the most effective deterrent to unlawful conduct.

Abuse has no business in New York. Fair Deal NY urges you to raise the bar.

If your organization is interested in joining the campaign, please contact Carolyn Coffey at ccoffey@mfjegal.org.