Labor advocates and almost half the City Council support a proposed law adding fair labor practices to restaurant requirements for licensing and annual re-certification.

Restaurants would be required to check a box saying they had labor violations over the prior five years. And if they did have violations, they would have to either prove those were cleared or go through a Health Department hearing.

The Department says its mission is to prevent food-related illness, not to enforce labor laws.

Advocates say research shows restaurants that overwork or under-pay employees are more likely to have health code violations, but officials say that research is flawed.

A restaurant trade group says the proposed law unfairly targets food establishments for tighter labor enforcement than other retail businesses.

For WNYC, I’m Fred Mogul.