BRONX COMMUNITY COUNCIL MAKES WISHES COME TRUE
Councilman Mark Gjonaj congratulated the Make a Wish Foundation - Bronx Community Council members
for all they do to help children in need. Photo courtesy of Councilman Mark Gjonaj’s Offi ce
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, M BTR AY 31-JUNE 6, 2019 65
BY STEVEN GLOSSER
The Pelham Parkway
Neighborhood Association
held its monthly meeting on
Tuesday, May 14 at Bronx
House before a packed house
at Bronx House. Our featured
guest speaker wasTanjila
Rahman, senior community
affairs associate from
the NYC Department Of
Consumer Affairs. Before
the presentation there were
announcements from our
elected offi cials’ representatives,
Christian Amato from
Senator Alessandra Biaggi’s
offi ce reported that the senator
will be opening a satelliate
offi ce on Lydig Avenue
in the beginning of July. The
PPNA will be co-sponsoring
a graffi ti cleanup on along
with Councilman Mark
Gjonaj offi ce along Lydig Avenue
on Friday, June 14 from
noon to 2 p.m. Another project
the PPNA is advocating
for the community is the Mobile
MetroCard van on the
Pelham Parkway south side.
We will keep the community
informed when this will take
place.
Next to speak was our featured
speaker. Rahman gave
the captive audience an in
depth overview of the inner
workings of the DCA. The
DCA and Worker Protection
(DCWP)—formerly the Department
of Consumer Affairs—
protects and enhances
the daily economic lives of
New Yorker’s to create thriving
communities. DCA licenses
more than 81,000
businesses in more than 50
industries and enforces key
consumer protection, licensing,
and workplace laws
that apply to countless more.
By supporting businesses
through equitable enforcement
and access to resources
and, by helping to resolve
complaints, DCA protects the
marketplace from predatory
practices and strives to create
a culture of compliance.
Through its community
outreach and the work of its
offi ces of Financial Empowerment
and Labor Policy &
Standards, DCA empowers
consumers and working families
by providing the tools
and resources they need to
be educated consumers and
to achieve fi nancial health
and work-life balance. DCA
also conducts research and
advocates for public policy
that furthers its work to support
New York City’s communities.
DCA was created on April
29, 1969 when the City Council
passed the landmark Consumer
Protection Law that
gave the agency its broad
authority to protect the public
from deceptive business
practices, making it the fi rst
municipal agency of its kind
in the country. It was at this
time that the City’s Department
of Markets, which included
the City’s Weights and
Measures division, merged
with the Department of Licensing
to form one unifi ed
Department of Consumer Affairs.
In 2006, DCA again evolved
with the changing marketplace
with the creation of its
Offi ce of Financial Empowerment
(OFE), the fi rst local
government initiative in
the nation aimed expressly
at educating, empowering
and protecting those with
low incomes. DCA’s OFE has
emerged as a national leader
in the fi eld of municipal fi nancial
empowerment and model
of local government offering
residents consumer protection
and fi nancial empowerment
has been looked to by
the Consumer Financial Protection
Bureau (CFPB) for
national replication.
Now, with its expanded
mission, DCA looks to pioneer
the way that city government
can protect and
enhance the lives of all of
players in the marketplace,
including consumers, business
and workers, and how
that work ultimately fosters
stronger, more sustainable,
and thriving communities.
Rahman educated us on
the ten things every consumer
should know.The fi rst
is to check a business’ license
status and complaint history.
The second is look for refund
policies and credit card
limitations, which stores
must post. The third is look
for prices,which stores must
post for goods and services.
The fourth is to ask for and
keep receipts. The fi fth is
beware of false advertising
and scams. The sixth is look
for a DCA seal on scales,gas
pumps, and home heating oil
delivery trucks, which shows
they passed inspection. The
seventh is always protect
your identify; the eighth is
research, negotiate, and review
contracts carefully; the
ninth is to tackle your debt
and take control of your fi -
nances and fi nally the tenth
is to fi le a complaint if you’ve
had a problem the business
won’t resolve.
If you are having a problem
with a business DCA has
your back. DCA enforces the
city’s Consumer Protection
Law and uses mediation to
help you resolve complaints
against a business.What happens
to your complaint about
a business? DCA reviews your
complaint and supporting
documents such as store receipts
, warranties, contracts.
If DCA is the correct agency
to assist you a mediator will
assign a docket number to
your case.During the mediation
process DCA will contact
you and the business to understand
the situation and reach
an agreement to settle the
matter. Most consumer complaints
are resolved through
mediation but in some cases
an Offi ce of Administrative
Trials and Hearings offi cer
will hear the complaint or
DCA may inform you of the
option to go to court.
The DCWP also proudly
fi ghts for workers rights—Offi
ce of Labor Policy and Standards
is NYC’s central resource
for workers. They are
a dedicated voice in city government
for workers in NYC.
They protect and promote labor
standards and policies
that create fair workplaces
to ensure all workers can realize
their rights, regardless
of immigration status. DCA
enforces workplace laws and
may initiate investigations
to against a business in response
to worker complaints.
File a workplace complaint if
you believe a business is not
in compliance with any of the
workplace laws. Workers can
report business violations of
workplace laws to DCA. They
will treat all information received
as confi dential and
will not disclose it without
your permission or unless required
by law. Some examples
of work place complaints are
as follows - paid safe and sick
leave law complaints, fair
work week law complaints,
fast food deductions law complaints,
paid care worker law
complaints, freelance worker
complaints, grocery worker
retention act complaints,
minimum wage worker law
complaints, and commuter
benefi ts law complaints.
The DCA also handles licensing
services. Many licensing
services may be obtained
online including how
to apply for a license,renewing
your license, and updating
your license information for
example change of name or
address.
Another service provided
by the DCA are Financial
Empowerment Centers that
assists New Yorker’s with
low incomes by developing
and offering innovative programs
and services to increase
access to high quality
low cost fi nancial education
and counseling, safe and affordable
mainstream banking
and access to income
boosting tax credits and savings.
They will work with
your counselors to reduce
debt, strengthen your credit
score, make saving a part of
your routine, balance a budget,
open a bank account,
separate personal and business
fi nances.They can work
with your counselor for however
long as you need.
In session one they
will assess your fi nancial
health,pull your credit report,
and develop a plan to
reach your personal goals.
In sessions two and three
they will access your progress
and support you in setting
and reaching any new
goals. If you are interested in
this important fi nancial empowerment
program please
email them at ofe.outreach@
dca.nyc.gov. for information.
After the session Rahman
took excellent questions.
The PPNA thanks very
much Ms. Rahman for a very
informative session and appearing
at our community
meeting. Our scheduled guest
speaker at our Tuesday, June
11 meeting at Bronx House,
before the summer recess,
will be the district attorney
for the Bronx Darcel Clark.
Please join us for this interesting
guest.
Mark your calendar: on
Tuesday evening, August 6
will be the annual National
Night Out Against Crime
at Bronx Park East and Lydig
Avenue. Please join us for
this annual event.
The PPNA work year
round and around the clock
to improve the quality of life
in Pelham Parkway. Please
look us up and like us on
Face Book for all neighborhood
happenings and events.
We can always be reached at
pelhamparkwayNA@gmail.
com. Get involved in your
community. It’s time.
/dca.nyc.gov
link