Jobs & Economic Development

New York City needs job policies that makes work pay for New Yorkers, and build a fair economy for all of us. By guaranteeing paid sick leave for all workers, supporting the rights of independent and low-wage workers, retaining good jobs that are pathways to the middle class like manufacturing, and reforming low-road economic development subsidies so they create living wage jobs, New York can regain its place as the largest engine of economic mobility for the United States.

Years Pass, But Question Remains: Is NYC Denying Welfare?

CityLimits

09/20/2010

The benefits rolls are far smaller and the mayor is quite different, but the debate over welfare in New York still revolves around whether eligible applicants are being turned away.

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Study: Too few city contracts to minority, women biz

Crain's New York Business

09/07/2010

The city is failing to meet its goals for contracts awarded to minority- and women-owned businesses, according to a report to be released Wednesday by City Council members Brad Lander and Jumaane Williams, although city officials questioned the study's methodology.

The report, a draft of which was obtained by Crain's New York Business, argues that contracts awarded to companies owned by minorities or women amounted to only 1.6% of the $5.3 billion in city contracts handed out between July and December of 2009. Read more »

Minority Businesses Struggle to Secure City Contracts

New York Times

09/08/2010

Businesses owned by women and members of minorities still struggle to secure city contracts, despite nearly five years of legal mandates and targeted goals set by the city, says a new City Council report [pdf - see also below]. Read more »

Councilmembers Lander, Williams Release Report Highlighting Failure of City's Minority & Women-Owned Business Enterprise Contracting Program to Meet Goals

Posted on September 8, 2010

Councilmembers Brad Lander and Jumaane D. Williams today released a report that shows that the City has failed to meet most of its goals for contracts awarded to Minority or Women-owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs). They were joined by Councilmembers Letitia James, Darlene Mealy, Diana Reyna, and Debi Rose on the steps of City Hall today to address how the city has failed to meet most of its goals for the contracts awarded to Minority or Women-owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs).

Read the coverage of the report in the New York Times and Crain's New York Business

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New York Communities Take on Foreclosures

The Nation

08/30/2010

New York's foreclosure problem has become a full-blown crisis.

In 2009, there were 50,000 foreclosures in the entire state and nearly half were in New York City. Now, over 265,000 mortgages are past due or in the foreclosure process. Foreclosures in the city were up 16 percent in the first quarter of 2010 compared to the same period last year. Banks have provided little relief, making less than 12,000 permanent modifications throughout New York since May 2009.

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State and City Legislators Hold Press Conference to Announce Legislation That Holds Banks Accountable for Foreclosed Homes

Posted on August 25, 2010

Updated: Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor and publisher of the Nation, writes in support of our anti-foreclosure legislation!

Today, New York State Senator Jeff Klein, Assemblymember Hakeem Jeffries, City Council Member Brad Lander and New York Communities for Change (NYCC) held a press conference with a coalition of State and City legislators to announce legislation that is aimed at holding banks responsible for foreclosed homes in New York. The proposed legislation emphasizes the importance of banks responsibly maintaining foreclosed homes if they cannot offer a viable mortgage modification to families in need.

Council Member Brad Lander said, “Too many banks are refusing to seriously engage in the broad range of programs made available to help homeowners, causing our communities and families to suffer as a result. It is time to ratchet up the pressure and make sure the banks take responsibility.” Read more »

Workshops for Small Business Owners

Posted on August 18, 2010

If you're interested in starting a small business, feel free to attend CAMBA Small Business Services's TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS Informational Session on Wednesday, September 8, from 6PM – 7PM. The session is an overview of CAMBA's intensive 10-week (60 hours) workshop which steps the entrepreneur through the development of a business plan as well as addresses topics critical to starting and operating a successful business. Read more »

jblumstein's blog

Video: Brad speaks about the importance of a living wage bill

Living Wage NYC

06/14/2010

Listen to Brad speak out on the budget and the importance of passing a living wage bill.

Watch the video.

Jobs & Economic Development

Elected Officials, City, Clash Over Living Wage Study-to-Be

New York Observer

06/08/2010

Tensions are rising over living wage. The Bloomberg administration's plan to study the effects of living wage laws came under attack today from a set of Council members and City Comptroller John Liu, who called the effort a "sham." In addition, nine Council members wrote a letter to Economic Development Corporation president Seth Pinsky asking him to take a more objective approach, given that the Bloomberg administration has repeatedly voiced opposition to many living wage requirements. "I welcome informative data that helps us make decisions, but given that the city has already indicated that it is skeptical of this policy, how can we be confident that the study will be objective and independent?" Councilman Brad Lander said today via phone. Read more »

Jobs & Economic Development

Making things a little easier for our small businesses

Posted on May 14, 2010

The small, independently-owned businesses that line our commercial avenues are - as we so often say - a key part of what make our neighborhoods, well, real neighborhoods. We are lucky to live in a place where we can walk to do so much of our weekly shopping, where we are likely to see neighbors, where we know the proprietors, where we have a choice to support local businesses instead of only global chains. So I was proud this week when the City Council passed the "Small Business Owners Bill of Rights," an important first step towards ensuring that small businesses in the city are able to survive and thrive in these difficult economic times.

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