NY City Council Hearing on the Living Wage Bill - May 12th, 2011

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Over 400 people turned out to the high-energy rally. Kimberly Ortiz, a member of the Retail Action Project, testified about working at a concession stand at the Statue of Liberty for $9.00 an hour. "Does that sound like life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness to you?" she asked. Council Member Darlene Mealy, who hosted the hearing as Chair of the Contracts Committee said "Our rents keep going up, food keep[s] going up, gas keep[s] going up, but our salaries don't go up." The rally culminated in a powerful moment of prayer during which the clergy marched across to 250 Broadway and the crowd turned to face the building. We raised up our hands and shouted for the walls of oppression to come tumbling down like the walls of Jericho, while the Shofar sounded seven times.

An extraordinary number both supportive and undecided council members participated in the hearing, a testament to the importance of this issue. For two and a half hours they went toe to toe with Bloomberg's representative Tukombo Shobowale. Citing the bogus million dollar study, he painted a doomsday scenario of tremendous job loss and stalled development in the outer boroughs. Council members did not buy it. Brad Lander called the study a “$1 million whitewash.” Charles Barron said "Wall Street profits, while we suffer. The study is a lie. You can alter a study to say anything." And Robert Jackson asked the Economic Development Corporation to try living on a salary of $20,000 a year.

Our team provided powerful testimony. Linda Archer, a McDonald's worker who was only given a 20 cent raise and a "rising star" t-shirt for her stellar job performance at the fast-food chain told the council they would be "rising stars" if they passed the bill. We also heard from Caitlin Kelly, author of the book "Malled: My Unintentional Career in Retail," Rev. Stephen Phelps of the Riverside Church, Dr. Ray Rivera of the Latino Pastoral Action Center and our excellent team of policy experts, including an expert from LA, testified that this law will help lift people out of poverty without all the negative consequences Bloomberg claims. Scroll down for links to media coverage.

Upcoming Event in Queens:

Town Hall about the Queens Center Mall: 

Mall Workers Speak Out for a Living Wage!

This Saturday May 21st, 3-5pm

St. Paul The Apostle Church

98-16 55th Ave., Corona

M/R train to Woodhaven Blvd

Media Coverage:

NY Daily News: Poll Finds NY Voters Support Living Wage

Bronx BP on Huffington Post: Why New York City Needs a "Living Wage" Law

NY1: Controversy Heats Up Over Living Wage Bill

"Inside City Hall" on NY1: Living Wage Debate

NY Times: Bloomberg Administration is Criticized on Wages

Politicker: Living Wage Fight Comes to City Hall

Crains: 'Living Wage' Backers Storm City Hall

Gotham Gazette: Living Wage Gets its Hearing

Term Limits - My Testimony to the NYC Council on October 16th at 11:40 pm...

Chairman Simcha Felder

My name is David M. Quintana and I'm a lifelong citizen of New York City hailing from Ozone Park in Queens...

I was watching these hearings at home on NY1 and felt so strongly about this power grab that I took the A train here from Queens to testify...

City Hall

I believe Intro 845 and 845A is a bad law which serves the self-interest of our billionaire Mayor and council-members...

I could not believe the sheer arrogance displayed by the City's Corporation Counsel Michael Cardozo and the Counsel to the Mayor Anthony Crowell when they stated that a vote by the Council is more representative than a special election for the general electorate...

NYC Council Chamber

This proposal by the Mayor shows that he doesn't believe in a representative democratic government with the voice of the people being heard...it shows a lack of respect for the people of NYC...

The Mayor tells us that he has met with business leaders, newspapers editors and Wall street lawyers...

Are these rich and influential people a representative body of New Yorkers, I think NOT...

In my opinion, I believe that contrary to what you read in the toady city newspapers this Mayor has not been a good mayor...

He picks and choses which laws he will obey and which ones he will ignore, take for example the issue of cell phones in the schools which was passed by the city council, vetoed by the mayor and then his veto was overwhelmingly overturned in the council, the Mayor ignores this law. He also allows the Chancellor of schools to disregard the city's recycling laws...

Which other laws of the people is he choosing not to obey..?

I think the Mayor very often is a bully, as many rich men are wont to be..

This Mayor with the real estate interest have adversely changed the fabric of our neighborhoods with over-development...this is not a man of the people but a man of special interest well heeled groups....

I have attended many hearings on the state of our school system under mayoral control of schools and across the city it is almost the universal view of parents around the city that this mayor has shut out major stakeholders such as parents and teachers...

I feel despite these hearings that term limits will pass as it seems apparent that this is a power play between one end of city hall, the mayor, and the other end, Speaker Quinn...most New Yorkers I speak to feel that the fix is in...

Peter Vallone, Jr.

Let's remember that this is a lame duck mayor who is drunk with power and his ego won't allow him to relinquish his office...

Bill DeBlasio

That the Mayor is indispensable – what a joke...No mayor is indispensable..!

I agree with Councilman Liu that this is a 3 card monty being perpetrated by the Mayor and the Speaker, it's a sleight of hand...

The notion offered by one of the gentlemen who spoke on behalf of the Mayor that the voters would be confused, if an election were held in 2009..??? ...It's laughable that the Mayor feels he is the only one smart enough to run this city and shows his utter arrogance to the will of the people...

Dave Kerpen (Man in the middle)

I implore the City Council to please remind the Mayor that this city's government is a democracy and not a plutocracy with a “NO” vote on Intro 845 and 845a...If this matter must be addressed at this time, I feel that it must brought before the people in a public referendum...

Letitia James - What a beautiful smile..!

I guarantee that myself and many others will vow to vote out any council members who vote yes on this proposal...

Our Decision - Working Families Party Ad on Term Limits Very Effective...

LetNYCVote.com - Rep Weiner Urges the Public to Speak Out About Term Limits at City Council Hearings on Thursday October 16th

Today, Congressman Anthony Weiner held a tele-conference with local bloggers...He urged the bloggers to let the public know about the Term-limit hearings being conducted later this week by the City Council and encourage them to tesitify...

He has a new web-site: LetNYCVote.com

The site will facilitate citizens by allowing them to sign up to speak at the City Council hearings...It will also keep you up to date with the latest news, schedule and other information...

The congressman said that this is “...an orchestrated attempt to do an end run around the public” and that this is “An an inside deal between one side of City Hall with the other side of City Hall.”

He also strongly feels that hearing should take place in all 5 boroughs on this important issue, especially since 9 hearings were held throughout the boroughs on Lead paint poisoning, and city-wide hearing are held on many other items.

When: The hearing starts at 1:00pm on Thursday and the City Council says they’ll let the hearing run for as long as it takes to hear everyone who wants to testify. Come before work, on your lunch hour, at the end of the day or anytime in between.

Where: City Hall - Council Chambers (2nd Floor)
Bring ID to get through the security guards on Park Row or Broadway.
By subway: 4/5/6 to City Hall or the 2/3 to Park Place or the R/W to City Hall or the J/M/Z to Chambers

Among the bloggers who attended the tele-conference were:

Jen Chung – The Gothamist

Liz Benjamin – The Daily Politics - NY Daily News

Phillip Anderson – The Albany Project

Morgan Pehme – The Brooklyn Optimist