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June 3, 2010
As law proposed to require minimum wages on subsidized project (so as to avoid CBAs), Bloomberg resorts to distortion
Atlantic Yards Report
Here's a shocker — the Mayor talking out of both sides of his mouth.
At a panel May 17 on Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs), Al Rodriguez, General Counsel to the Bronx Borough President, argued that that certain aspects of CBAs--such as living wages and local hiring--should be institutionalized, not negotiated.
And last week a bill was introduced in City Council to require living wages on certain economic development projects that are benefiting from city subsidies, thus removing it from "negotiations," such as with the Atlantic Yards CBA.
Affordable housing
It's notable that Mayor Mike Bloomberg's criticism of the bill relies on a mischaracterization of it.
In a May 25 article headlined City Takes Another Pass at a Living Wage Bill, WNYC's Matthew Schuerman reported:
Bloomberg spoke out against the living wage bill Monday, saying that the reason these projects need city subsidies is that they wouldn't stand on their own otherwise.
"We’re trying to build more affordable housing. We're trying to provide more services for the elderly," he says. "The economics don't work if you have to pay more."
But according to a copy of the bill introduced Tuesday, affordable housing projects and buildings that house social services organizations would be exempt from the living wage requirements.
Posted by eric at June 3, 2010 7:27 AM