Council Speaker Christine Quinn may have negotiated a more business-friendly paid sick day bill than advocates wanted, but Mayor Michael Bloomberg is not satisfied. Indeed, in a statement released earlier this morning, Mr. Bloomberg castigated the legislation’s latest iteration as “short-sighted economic policy” and declared his intention to veto it. Read More
Politicos across the city are abuzz with excitement over The New York Times‘ front-page profile of Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s “surprisingly volatile” temperament, but one of her top rivals in the mayoral race, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, isn’t piling on. Indeed, when asked about the article today, Mr. de Blasio simply urged Ms. Quinn to put her forceful personality behind paid sick day legislation in the City Council.
“I dont worry so much about the fact that she raises her voice and gets angry at people,” Mr. de Blasio said at a City Hall press conference on the paid sick day bill. “I worry that she doesn’t speak up for average New Yorkers. I think it’s one thing to say in a private conversation, she gets angry and upset with people, but I’d like to see her speak up when it matters on issues like this and we haven’t seen that. Repeatedly, we’ve seen her look the other way on issues like paid sick days and living wage. That’s what the public will ultimately judge, the substance, whether someone is on their side or not.” Read More
Bill Thompson is ramping up pressure on his mayoral rival, Council Speaker Christine Quinn, on her refusal to allow a vote on paid sick leave legislation. Just a few weeks ago, Mr. Thompson was more muted on the topic, but he’ll be on the steps of City Hall later today to directly push Ms. Quinn to allow a vote.
“It is long past time for paid sick leave to become the law in New York,” Mr. Thompson wrote in a letter to Ms. Quinn earlier this morning. “We should no longer force parents to choose between holding their jobs and caring for loved ones, especially young children. While paid sick leave would enable fathers to lean in by pitching in during family illness, it will especially be a godsend to single mothers.” Read More
Public Advocate Bill de Blasio really wants you to know that one of his rivals in the mayor’s race, Council Speaker Christine Quinn, has bottled up legislation that would require paid sick days for workers in New York City. And Mr. de Blasio, who has been holding press conferences and stumping in churches on the issue for the last few months, has a new tool for the mission: a clock.
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In the heart of Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s Chelsea base, the boisterous Democratic club named for late gay rights activist Jim Owles met last night for their first meeting of the year where they reiterated their current mission: ensuring Ms. Quinn, who could become the first lesbian to lead New York City, never, ever, ever leads New York City.
“The harshest dictatorship I’ve ever seen has been under Christine Quinn,” said Allen Roskoff, a notorious antagonist of Ms. Quinn’s and president of the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club. Read More
Public Advocate Bill de Blasio isn’t ready to forget about the paid sick day legislation just yet.
“Wednesday, December 19th marks 1,000 days since New York’s Paid Sick Leave Bill was introduced into the City Council,” his government website declared today. “This landmark is no celebration.” However, to press their point beyond mere words, Mr. de Blasio’s office rolled out a creative new strategy: a series of “E-Cards” for New Yorkers to send to the Council, reminding them of how long the bill has been stalled. Needless to say, the cards in question are heavy in the use of pop culture references. Read More
Lena Dunham, the star of HBO’s hipster coming-of-age comedy Girls, has already dabbled in film, magazine writing and literature, but she seems to increasingly be adding local political activism to her resume. Last night, Ms. Dunham took to Twitter to express her support for the Paid Sick Days bill, which many politicos believe has been unfairly stalled by Council Speaker Christine Quinn.
“I’m always sick or convinced I’m sick. A flu shouldn’t cost you your job. That’s why I support #paidsickdays U Can 2,” Ms. Dunham wrote before including a link to an online petition asking Ms. Quinn to allow the bill to come to a vote on the floor of the City Council. Read More
The paid sick day bill drumbeat rolled on today, with yet another press conference on the steps of City Hall calling for Council Speaker Christine Quinn to allow a vote on the legislation she has long bottled up. The event this afternoon, however, featured elected officials and child-carrying parents, or, in the case of Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and his son Max, both. And after the speeches finished, Mr. Stringer told Politicker the bill’s proponents can count on Max’s support.
“Max is a strong supporter of this legislation because every time he gets sick or he needs attention from his parents, he gets it,” Mr. Stringer explained. Read More
Council members and advocates of legislation mandating paid sick days have been focused on convincing Council Speaker Christine Quinn to allow a vote on the bill, as the majority of the city’s lawmakers have voiced approval. However, even without Ms. Quinn’s support, there is a way for the City Council to bypass her authority by having the lead sponsor, with the support of seven other council members, file a “Motion to Discharge,” a rare tactic that would force a vote.
It would be bold for the City Council to do this, however, as some members may fear retaliation or may just not want to shake up the status quo. Nevertheless, the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, an influential LGBT organization, is fed up with the stalemate and is calling on the City Council to override Ms. Quinn’s authority. Read More
Council Speaker Christine Quinn is currently facing a barrage of pressure as to whether she should allow a vote on a bill mandating paid sick day coverage for employees. On one side are labor leaders and progressive activists, and on the other are business advocates and conservative editorial boards. Ms. Quinn, a leading contender for Gracie Mansion in 2013, can now add one of her likely mayoral rivals in the Democratic primary to the list as well: Public Advocate Bill de Blasio.
“We’ve had a very thorough debate on this over the last couple years in New York City, and this bill needs to come to the floor, and the City Council needs to vote,” Mr. de Blasio said on Inside City Hall last night. “This is not the kind of issue that any legislative leader should hold back a vote. It’s too important, there’s been too much debate, there’s too much need for it to go ignored in that fashion.” Read More
