By David Freedlander 12:22pm

Statements

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Advocates: Bloomberg to Blame for Poverty Spike

The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union and a coalition of advocates for a city-mandated Living Wage law are placing the blame for a spike in the city’s poverty rate purely on the shoulders of Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The new poverty data on New York City released today by the Census bureau is deeply unsettling but it should not come as a surprise. The Bloomberg administration’s economic policy has prioritized the interests of corporations and developers, and neglected the needs of most New Yorkers. Poverty has increased in so many communities and households because this administration is not investing in living wage jobs. It has given corporations and developers billions of taxpayer dollars and allowed them to create poverty-wage jobs with impunity. That needs to stop. This aristocratic agenda of protecting the rich and ignoring the most vulnerable has clearly failed countless New Yorkers across the city. Read More

By David Freedlander 5/12/11 5:40pm

Living Wage

Living Wage Fight Comes to City Hall

The next great battle in City Hall was joined today as the City Council held their inaugural hearing on The Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act, which would require all businesses that receive city subsidies pay at least $10 per hour, with benefits, to all of their employees.

Members of the Council grilled Tokumbo Shobowale, the chief of staff for Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert Steel, who defended a study released yesterday by the Economic Development Corporation that said the bill would put a stranglehold on the city’s economy and hurt job growth. Read More

By Azi Paybarah 5/11/11 6:17pm

Budget Battles

Living Wage Leads to ‘Such a Small Amount of Job Loss’: Supporter

If the city passes a law requiring a “living wage” be paid to workers at projects that receive public subsidies, about 6,000 to 13,000 jobs would be lost, according to a recent report.

For advocates, like Democratic City Councilman Oliver Koppell of the Bronx, that’s the good news.

In a public statement today, he referred to the 6,000 – 13,000 figure as “such a small amount of job loss.” Read More

By Azi Paybarah 5/11/11 12:48pm

Statements

photo credit: Citizens Union of the City of New York

City Hall Trying to ‘Sabotage’ Council Hearing With Early Report

A City Councilman The Progressive Caucus of the New York City Council says the mayor’s administration is trying to “sabotage” a long-awaited Council hearing tomorrow about a controversial bill requiring a “living wage” for workers at projects that get public subsidies.

Councilman Brad Lander of Brooklyn The caucus said the Economic Development Corporation’s decision to release only the executive summary of their report late Monday night is “very suspicious timing.”

“This release came just a few days before a City Council hearing on the Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act, legislation that the study was clearly designed to discredit,” said Lander the Caucus said in a statement, released by Councilman Brad Lander’s office. “The full study won’t even be released until this summer but the EDC couldn’t wait to try to sabotage the Council hearing and cast doubt on legislation that thousands of New Yorkers support.”

By Azi Paybarah 5/10/11 8:02am

suggested reading

Boehner and Corwin

Morning Read: Boehner and Corwin

2012: Bloomberg likes Kelly. [Tori Ackerman and Erin Einhorn]

NY26: In touting Corwin, Boehner invokes Pelosi, a lot. [Robert McCarthy and Phil Faribanks]

NY26: More here. [WSJ]

Immigration: 38 legislators urge Cuomo to pull NY from federal program that sends fingerprints of people in jail to Department of Homeland Security. [Kirk Semple]

Ticket-Fixing: De Blasio wants answers about domestic-violence coverups and other infractions; NYPD spokesman Paul Browne says allegations have “never been verified.” [Jamie Schram and Bob Fredericks]

Living Wage: EDC report draws fire. [WSJ]

Taxi Enforcement: Driver speeds away from agent — with agent still in car. [Kevin Fasick]

By Azi Paybarah 5/09/11 6:27pm

He Said / He Said

In Criticizing Living Wage Report, Liu Says ‘It May Curtail Number of New Minimum Wage Jobs’

A new report by the city Economic Development Corporation says requiring a “living wage” for jobs that get public subsidies would hurt the city’s economy.

City Comptroller John Liu was quick to issue a statement denouncing the report — saying it “shows just how distorted the agency’s operations have become.”

But the comptroller then goes on to say the legislation “It may curtail the number of new minimum
wage jobs, with the hope that these new jobs would then pay a decent wage.” Read More

By Azi Paybarah 5/09/11 4:32pm

suggested reading

Mayor Bloomberg, walking

Roundup: A Living Wage Report, A Marriage Rally

Mayor Bloomberg speaks at NYPD Memorial Day Ceremony.
May 9, 2011 (Photo Credit: Spencer T Tucker)

2012: “Kelly would make a great president,” says Bloomberg. [Erin Einhorn]

NY 26: “The Democrats are hoping they can steal this election and move their agenda,” said Boehner. [Raymond Hernandez]

Federal Money: Florida’s transit loss is New York’s gain. [Patrick McGeehan]

Living Wage: EDC report says it’ll kill NY’s economy. [Chris Bragg]

Hiding Hillary: Doctored photo in Jewish newspaper “presents religious Judiasm as ridiculous in the eyes of the world.” [Adam Dickter]

Ticket-Fixing: De Blasio wants Kelly to answer questions. [Jill Colvin]

Columns: CUNY may have jeopardized their ability to give honorary degrees. [Clyde Haberman]

Cigarette Tax: Court allows state to collect them off Indian Reservations; win for Schndierman. [Nick Reisman]

Same-Sex Marriage: GOP targets for advocates include McDonald, Ball, Alesi and Grisanti. [Nick Reisman]

Same-Sex Marriage: “Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo was conspicuously absent on Monday as more than 1,000 New Yorkers gathered…” [Thomas Kaplan]

Photos: Andrew Cuomo’s official photo makes its debut. [Jimmy Vielkind]