Ben Kallos Introduces Legislation to Raise Construction Workers’ Wages
City Councilman Ben Kallos (D-Yorkville, Lenox Hill) recently introduced legislation that would mandate that construction workers be paid prevailing wages for city-subsidized projects.
As of now, contractors are obligated to pay their workers a prevailing wage when they have a direct contract with the city, but Kallos’ new legislation would make this guideline apply to any projects that receive at least $1 million in government funding and occupy at least 100,000 square feet.
“Any project that receives taxpayer dollars must pay a prevailing wage, invest in workers with training and apprenticeship, and provide protection for workers’ rights,” Kallos said in a press release. “Paying construction workers minimum wage on affordable housing projects is only making our City’s housing crisis worse.”
Corey Johnson Gives Condolences to Brian Kessler
City Councilman Corey Johnson (D-Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen) released a statement yesterday about the tragic death of NYPD officer Brian Kessler.
The officer died yesterday at 8:20 a.m. after taking a head-on crash with a city-owned garbage truck while he was driving home from work. He was 28.
“I was saddened to learn about the tragic death of police officer Brian Kessler,” said Johnson. “My heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends and the entire NYPD community, who are all suffering the loss of someone who was committed to serving the city and was taken too soon.”
Rivera, Powers Hold Discretionary Budget Meeting
Councilwoman Carlina Rivera (D-East Village, Gramercy Park) and Councilman Keith Powers (D-Upper East Side, Carnegie Hall) will be holding a meeting tonight to inform organizations how to apply for city funding.
Rivera and Powers will educate attendees about the City Council FY 20 budget process, and walk them through the process of applying for discretionary or capital funding.
The meeting is slated for tonight at 6:30 p.m., at the 14th Street Y at 344 East 14th St.
Brewer Calls on City to Address Void Spaces and “Super Talls”
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, together with the Manhattan Delegation of the City Council, submitted a letter to the City Planning Commission yesterday beckoning them to address the growing number of out-of-context buildings under construction in Manhattan.
According to the letter, developers are taking advantage of “void spaces”, or unoccupied floors taken up entirely by machinery, to circumvent the limitations imposed by the Zoning Resolution and construct buildings that tower over the rest of the neighborhood.
“We believe this is a real but rare opportunity to address this issue comprehensively and borough wide,” reads the letter. “We understand that the Department of City Planning and Department of Buildings are looking closely at the use of ‘mechanical voids’…but we want to ensure that the applicability of any new rule is consistently applied to all high-density residential buildings or mixed use buildings with a significant residential component across the Borough of Manhattan.”
