MANH Lawmakers on the Move, Dec. 18, 2019

Rosenthal, Barron to Host Meeting on On-Campus Childcare

Council Members Helen Rosenthal (D-Central Park, Lincoln Square) and Inez Barron (D-Brooklyn) will be hosting a meeting on on-campus childcare today.

The two lawmakers will be providing information on the free childcare services offered at CUNY schools. Students, student parents, teachers and faculty are invited to testify about their experiences with CUNY’s services.

The event will take place today at 1 p.m. at the Shepard Hall, Room 250, City College of New York, 160 Convent Ave.

Unions Representing 40K Laborers Endorse Kallos for Manhattan Borough President

Yesterday, Council Member Ben Kallos (D-Yorkville, Lenox Hill) received an endorsement from the New York State Laborers’ Political Action Committee.

The New York State Laborers Union represents 24 local unions and 40,000 workers statewide. Of those 24, nine are based in New York City.

The Laborers chose to endorse Kallos due to his strong record as an advocate on behalf of working families. For instance, as a legislator, he authored a construction safety bill that would force contractors to track and list on-site deaths.

“Our Laborers pave our streets and build our tunnels to get New Yorkers where they are going, protect our families from asbestos and hazardous waste, and do the construction work that makes our city great,” said Kallos. “I started my career representing Laborers and it would be my honor to continue representing them and working families throughout our city.”

Johnson, Miller, NAACP Announce $1 Million to Boost Access to Technology at Queens and Bronx Schools

Council Member Corey Johnson (Credit: Jeff Reed)

Yesterday, Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen), Council Member I. Daneek Miller (D-Queens) and NAACP New York State Conference President Hazel Dukes announced the $1 Million Hazel Dukes Education Initiative.

The initiative is a learning program that will give students in four public schools access to laptops and programs that promote math skills and literacy. More than 1300 Dell Technology Chrome notebooks will be purchased as part of the program.

“We need 21^st century resources for our 21^st century students and this partnership will make sure that these Queens and Bronx schools will get the technology and support the students need to thrive,” said Johnson. “The Council proudly supports this program and is grateful for all the work the NAACP does to help shape future leaders.”

James, Stringer Return $400K in Recovered Wages to Underpaid Service Workers

Yesterday, Attorney General Letitia James (D), City Comptroller Scott Stringer (D) and 32BJ SEIU President Kyle Bragg distributed $400,000 in back wages to 11 building service employees who were cheated out of their prevailing wages for work at a luxury apartment building in Downtown Brooklyn.

Last month, James and Stringer announced a $2.9 million settlement with the developers of 180 Nassau Street, Brooklyn Warehouse 180 LLC and Mica Gabe Brooklyn LLC, for violating prevailing wage requirements by underpaying building service employees. The settlement awarded the 11 underpaid workers compensation based upon their hours worked, ranging from $5,500 to $80,000.

“There is zero tolerance for cheating workers out of their hard-earned pay,” said James. “As a result of our investigation, we were able to secure hundreds of thousands of dollars for these workers — payment that they should have received long ago. I thank Comptroller Stringer and 32BJ for their partnership in holding these bad actors accountable and ensuring that our workers get the pay they deserve.”