Last week Brooklyn Beep Antonio Reynoso appointed Reverend Kimberly Council as Deputy Borough President.
The Deputy will serve as a surrogate for the Borough President as well as leading faith-based work for the administration, according to a Friday announcement.
Prior to her appointment she served as Assistant Pastor of Greater Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Crown Heights since 2021.
“Rev. Council’s history of specialized community service and faith-based work in Brooklyn will bring the work our administration has been dedicated to for the past year to the next level,” Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso said in a statement. “Our borough and this city are facing serious challenges right now – issues like undignified and unaffordable housing, food insecurity, and the looming fear of violence and loss. For many years, Kim has worked alongside our communities to address these inequities and invoke change that people can feel in their everyday lives.
The former Sunday School teacher has worked on issues such as building affordable housing, fighting hunger through food pantries and violence prevention programs as the Executive Director of the Berean Community Center in Crown Heights.
She has also served as the President of the East Brooklyn Housing Development Corporation and sits on the Executive Board of Women of Faith Advocating Change – a group of female pastors, elected officials and community service providers. In 2019, she was appointed to the HBCU International Task Force
“I’ve dedicated my career to the communities and people of Brooklyn, focusing on finding ways to better lives and strengthen opportunities for all. Being appointed Deputy Borough President gives me the opportunity to carry this work out at a larger, borough-wide level alongside a colleague I’ve long respected,” Reverend Kim Council said in a statement. “Agreeing with Borough President Reynoso’s approach, policy priorities, and general strategy to reach the strongest, most sustainable future for all Brooklynites, I look forward to building that vision for the millions of people who call this beautiful borough home.”
The appointment will be effective starting on April 17, 2023.
Grand Street, Morgan Ave. and Metropolitan Ave. Discussed
By Iryna Shkurhan
ishkurhan@queensledger.com
With stickers, markers and post-its in hand, North Brooklyn residents set out to redesign some of the most widely used, and problematic, corridors in their neighborhood.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) hosted the revisioning event on Thursday evening at the Swinging Sixties Senior Center on Ainslie Street. With over a hundred community members in attendance, no seat was left empty. The strong turnout and vocal attendees reflected the desire for a long awaited redesign that prioritizes safety and accessibility in the community.
The conversation centered around three main roadways — Grand Street, Metropolitan Avenue and Morgan Avenue — which are heavily utilized by pedestrians, cars, bus commuters, bicyclists and trucks on a daily basis. The event directly showed that accommodating everyone’s interests is tricky, with several possible solutions to consider.
A presentation by Lauren Rennée, a DOT project manager, outlined the changes implemented at these three locations over the past decade to address usability, especially for the growing number of cyclists. A “toolbox” of possibilities to address the issues that remain included one-way car conversion, removing a lane of parking, reducing travel lanes and sheltering bike lanes with either parking or jersey barriers.
The area that encompasses Williamsburg and Greenpoint ranks in the top-third of high-crash corridors in Brooklyn, according to the DOT. On Grand Street, 22 people were seriously injured between 2016 and 2020. Since 2016, there have also been seven fatalities. The crash rates were only slightly lower on Metropolitan Ave and Morgan Ave.
“There are a lot of challenges with the current design,” said Jennifer Gutiérrez, Council Member of District 34 representing Bushwick and Williamsburg, in her opening remarks. “We’re also here because there have been very real collisions and deaths along these corridors. Our goal before anything is to prevent all of those deaths.”
The central complaint of the evening was that the majority of the time, the bike lanes in all three locations were unusable due to parked cars or trucks blocking them. With poor access and visibility, bicyclists are forced to either disturb pedestrians on the sidewalks or put themselves at risk by riding into car designated lanes. But some business owners countered that bike lanes pose curb access challenges for deliveries and limited parking for visitors.
“I bike on Grand St and it’s very problematic, depending on which way you’re going,” said Francesca Romana Caputo, a Williamsburg resident. “There is always something parked on the bike lane.”
Attendees were seperated into a dozen breakout groups where they spent 45 minutes discussing possibilities for solutions with a map of the area open between them. Using color coded stickers, they marked problematic areas with a corresponding note.
Each group had a DOT representative to guide the conversation, offer their expertise while another representative diligently took notes of popular solutions. It was suggested 15 minutes of discussion is allotted to each corridor, but Metropolitan Ave received the most attention, and complaints.
“We want to design streets that enforce themselves,” said Preston Johnson, a DOT Project Manager who led the discussion in one of the groups.
Metropolitan Ave’s current design bans parking on the peak direction side during rush hour west of the Metropolitan Ave Bridge. And over 1,700 vehicles cross that bridge during the morning rush, according to DOT data. And east of the bridge, the wider section of the road is separated by a median with just a standard bike lane in place.
Cyclists are growing at a fast rate in the city and are a central population that will be considered in the redesign. According to DOT data, 1.8 million Citi bike trips originated in Brooklyn’s Community Board 1 in 2022, not including personal bikes. It is also the most environmentally friendly mode of transportation.
A popular solution was to implement protected bike lanes that provide a safer dedicated space for cyclists. According to the DOT it is the “most appropriate treatment in areas with commercial and industrial activity.” Pedestrian injuries decreased by 21 percent and motor vehicle occupant injuries went down by 15 percent when protected bike lanes were introduced.
A Department of Transportation representative facilitated the discussion in each group and answered logistical questions that arose.
Grand St, which connects western Queens and Bushwick to Brooklyn and Manhattan via bridges and the BQE, generates high truck volumes and loading demand by serving commercial and industrial areas. Much progress has been made since 2008, when travel lanes had no separation or designation for bike riders. The following year, standard bike lanes were added and in 2018 they became parking protected curbside bike lanes. Last year, jersey barrier protection was also added.
Some bus riders complained that buses are forced to operate at slower speeds due to traffic, which leads to longer commute times for riders. They also complained that there is no enforcement of people illegally parking on bike lanes or blocking bus stops and lanes.
High truck rates stem from North Brooklyn being a hub for Industrial Business Zones. On Grand St, a lack of designated loading zones for trucks is a strong contributor to blocked bike lanes.
Many attendees proposed converting one or more of the three corridors into one-way roads to create more space for bike lanes and reduce congestion created by cars and trucks. Some attendees worried that by redesigning a large street as a one-way, smaller side streets that are currently favorable to biking will receive an influx of truck traffic.
Morgan Ave is one of the few north-south streets in Williamsburg that intersects Grand St and Metropolitan Ave. While a curbside bike lane was installed from Grand St to Grattan St in 2018, there is currently a bike network gap north of Grand St to Meeker Ave, Queens via the Kosciuszko and Pulaski Bridges.
Physically narrower roadways, one example of self-enforcing design, tend to discourage speeding that is present in wider roadways. They will also shorten crossing distances for pedestrians, a significant challenge for seniors.
Seniors make up less than 15 percent of the city’s population but over 45 percent of pedestrian fatalities. And 90 percent of senior and non-senior adult injuries occur at intersections. A proposed solution with seniors in mind is to include a halfway pedestrian island to split up intersection crossing into two parts.
”The other thing that no one has mentioned during this presentation is the pollution,” said Caputo, who lives directly on Grand St. She said that every morning a thick layer of black residue accumulates on the windowsill in her bedroom. “It’s insane. This is what we’re breathing everyday.”
The DOT plans to unveil their redesign proposal, created with resident suggestions in mind, at an upcoming Community Board 1 meeting.
Jessamyn Lee is the newest Brooklyn Representative for the Panel for Education Policy – the citywide board that replaced the formal Board of Education.
Lee has served as a public school English Second Language teacher for over eight years, the Parent Teachers Association Board for her children’s schools and the Chancellor’s Parent Advisory council. She also served as District 14 President Council President – a group of PTA presidents representing North Brooklyn.
“When I became a public school parent, I wanted to contribute to my school communities, and then eventually, the larger community in any way that I could, because I feel like I have a couple of different lenses on things because I do have this sort of institutional knowledge from my background working for the Department of Education,” Jessamyn said in a recent phone interview.
When asked about her primary focuses, Lee said that stopping colocation of charter schools was among her top interests.
“I feel like what we’re seeing in New York City, and what we’re seeing really nationally is a momentary drop in public school enrollment. And my main priority is looking at building utilization, which is tied to enrollment numbers to ensure that our public schools remain public schools.”
Lee told the Brooklyn Star that one policy she would like to see changed is that soft spaces – meaning Speech pathology, counseling and other services – would be included in building utilization stats. The figure is often used to make the case for potential co-locations of charters.
Lee said that the lack of soft spaces being included in building utilization rates can alter the numbers. She highlighted how her own son is in a specialized program for Autistic students and although it only has around 19 students, a general education class could hold upwards of 30. Due to the disparity, Lee said that the current models don’t account for that disparity and could incorrectly label a classroom as being underutilized
“When we’re talking about English language learners and special education students, in particular, the preservation of those soft spaces are necessary for the implementation of their mandated services and supports.”
In her interview with the Brooklyn Star, Lee also highly criticized the Mayor’s education cuts, which have been estimated by the Comptroller’s office to total $469 million.
“I obviously, stringently and stridently, oppose the Adams administration’s cuts to the DOE’s budget. I find them indefensible.”
Lee encouraged readers to learn more about their local Community Education Councils in order to get more involved.
“A lot of what I’ve learned over the years is that what it takes for the average person or the typical person to kind of exercise some political power in this city is sort of directly tied to their ability and willingness to sit through long meetings that cover a lot of dry material,” she said.
“But the parents are empowered and they can and should reach out to their city council members and their state assembly members to advocate for our public schools.”
Greenpoint residents are organizing against new proposed lines for their assembly district, claiming that the lines are politically charged.
Assembly District 50, the current district represented by Emily Gallagher covers Greenpoint and Williamsburg. The proposed draft lines submitted by the Independent Redistricting Committee would currently split the district in half, along McGuinness Boulevard with the right half of the district being absorbed into Western Queens-based Assembly District 38, which is currently represented by Juan Ardila.
The current maps boundaries are a result of the earlier redistricting, which after court challenges only was set to be used for the last election. The maps that are currently being considered are to replace the 2023-2024 maps.
“The bifurcation of McGuinness Boulevard under the current redistricting plan will serve to separate the longstanding Greenpoint Polish Community, diminishing its heritage, unique character, heart and spirit, like the BQE did to our Williamsburg neighborhood,” a letter from a group of local activists opposing the proposed lines obtained by the Greenpoint Star. “The split of AD50 along McGuinness Boulevard and lower along Driggs Avenue will also divide a community that has successfully faced environmental challenges threatening our neighborhood. This includes the designation of two federal superfund sites, the building of at least three power plants, and flood resiliency planning.”
Kevin LaCherra, a local Greenpoint activist, told the Greenpoint Star that the lines’ potential impact are dire.
“This is such a critical time not just for our city, but for this community – in terms of climate, housing, resources and planning. In the midst of that the state of New York wants to cut us in half. Divide our power, divide our voice.”
In reference to the unique challenges Eastern Greenpoint faces, LaCherra said that the plan was especially troublesome.
“These are some of our most vulnerable areas of the community that really need the expertise of elected officials that have and will represent the majority of Greenpoint,” he continued. “And that is not the case here.”
Karen Blatt, the co-executive director at the Independent Redistricting Commission, did not answer any questions regarding the decision making behind the change but encouraged people to participate in public hearings about the subject.
“The map that was released on December 1st is just a draft and the commissioners will redraw the lines in March, based on the testimony at our public hearings and the submissions they read on our website. Everyone is encouraged to participate and inform the commissioners how the lines affect them and their community,” Blatt wrote in an email.
Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher urged constituents to testify at the upcoming meeting.
“Greenpoint and Williamsburg are sister communities and have never been separated politically. They share a history, a heritage and many common challenges. The new draft lines proposed by the Independent Redistricting Committee reminds me of the carelessness of Robert Moses driving the BQE through the heart of our residential neighborhoods,” Gallagher said in a statement. “Eastern Greenpoint belongs with Greenpoint and Williamsburg—not in a mostly Queens district.”
The upcoming public hearing for the proposed Greenpoint district, and Brooklyn at-large, will be hosted both online and in-person at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 15 at Medgar Evers College.
After years in working in local reformer politics, as an aide for Mayor DeBlasio and stints at local non-profits, Lincoln Restler was ready to take on City Hall.
The politically adept council member represents the 33rd district which stretches waterfront Brooklyn nabes like Greenpoint down to Brooklyn Heights. In his first year of office, he has introduced over a dozen pieces of legislation – ranging in wide scale reforms like the city giving first preference to non-profit developers when selling land to planting over 3,000 trees in the district.. He has released a climate action roadmap, which combines legislative priorities with organizing strategies to try and make the district the first carbon-neutral in the county.
Our paper decided to catch up with the councilmember to reflect about the challenges and successes in his first year of office.
“I’m really proud of the work that we’ve been able to do. I love this job, I thought I would love it. But until you’re actually in it, doing it every day didn’t realize just how much I would enjoy it,” Restler said in a recent interview.
Restler described his legislative philosophy as being driven largely by constituent services complaints. After being inundated with complaints about helicopter noise and placard abuse – he introduced legislation to ban non-essential helicopter use and banning placard abuse.
“The three key prongs of the office are having a really rigorous and robust constituent services operation to solve every problem. You develop proactive organizing plans across our district to address issues at the neighborhood level and then sponsor and pass transformative legislation that addresses the inequities in our city,” said Restler.
While Restler has introduced many pieces of legislation, most of them are still sitting in committee, even while having co-sponsors from a majority of the council.
“2022 was a year for a whole new city government in New York, not just to the mayor setting up this whole administration, but a new speaker and 80 percent of the council are freshmen members,” Restler said.”And so it’s taken us a little bit of time to develop our priorities and consensus in this legislative council, under Speaker Adams, but I think we’re really starting to hit a groove and the passing rate packages built in the summer and fall.”
Back in March, Restler was appointed as co-chair of the Progressive Caucus with Shahana Hanif. The caucus, which represent a majority of the council, unveiled their formal agenda, a cadre of 20 bills that had been introduced throughout the year – including legislation relating to banning solitary confinement, abolishing the gang database and establishing a public bank.
“we’re making steady progress in driving those pieces of legislation forward. You know, as the largest caucus in the council, when we’re organized, we are in a very strong position to see our priorities enacted. The speaker, I think, listens to and cares about what her members want. And when we’re organized as a caucus, we can come forward as a large compelling, you know, influential block of votes to say, these are our priorities,” Restler said.
“The reality is that Eric Adams is committed to austerity, politics and austerity budgeting. City government has been hollowed out as it is, and it is severely hurting our city agency’s ability to generate affordable housing, to connect New Yorkers to public assistance and food stamps,” he added.
When pushed about voting for the original budget, Restler expressed regret.
“I think there was a lot of misinformation and misleading information. I think there was a lot of deliberately misleading information provided by the administration and in advance of the last budget that hid the severity of the cuts that they were imposing on our neighborhood school,” he said. The councilman emphasized that although he has allocated funding out of his discretionary budget and testified in oversight hearings, that “I should have known better, and I should have pushed harder. And I regret voting in favor of a budget that cut funding from our schools.”
Restler took the opportunity to critique the Mayor’s November Plan – a budget update which included cuts to libraries and other services.
“We were sorely disappointed with the November plan that the mayor released imposing nearly an additional billion dollars in cuts to the universal 3k program cuts across our city agencies. It’s clear where his priorities lie. His commitment to austerity budgets is unacceptable. And we as a council, we must fight back to stop.”
In the following months, Restler said that he was looking forward to introducing more legislation: specifically relating to rooftop solar, battery storage and improving conditions of homeless shelters.
As the year came to a close, Governor Kathy Hochul had a busy two weeks. She became the first woman to be sworn into a full term as governor of New York on Jan. 1, and in the month prior, she signed numerous pending state legislation into law.
Notably, she signed a bill that prohibits discrimination based on citizenship or immigration status and immigration status is illegal in New York.
This law will expand the protections from the NYS Division of Human Rights, which currently investigates cases in which individuals have been potentially discriminated against due to their immigration status.
State Senator John Liu and State Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz came together with activists on Dec. 29 in front of Flushing Library to applaud the signing of this bill (S6586A/A6328A).
“We appreciate Governor Hochul for signing this legislation in recognition that our state is made greater by the vast contributions of talented and aspiring people from everywhere in the world who adopt New York as their new home,” Liu said in a statement. “Unfortunately, even as they pursue the American Dream, they are stymied by obsolete federal laws and byzantine bureaucracies that prolong their path to citizenship and subject them to bias and discrimination. This bill will help provide equal opportunity in employment, housing, and other needs that all New Yorkers should have access to.”
The first state program in the nation allowing individuals to be reimbursed for the costs of kidney and liver donations came from the governor’s office this week.
The legislation (S.1594/A.146A) amends the public health, tax and social services laws to enact the “New York State Living Donor Support Act,” which will establish a program to cover the extra costs that come with organ donation for New York residents who donate to a fellow New Yorker. The law comes in an effort to eliminate financial barriers to organ donation and, as a result, reduce wait times for organ transplants and address the organ shortage in New York.
As of publication, there are over 8,000 people on transplant wait lists, most of whom are awaiting a kidney, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.
A legislative package (S.3897/A.8936-A) supporting pedestrians, bikers and transit riders included increased funding for “Complete Street” projects.
A Complete Street is a roadway designed for all roadway users — not just drivers.
This includes pedestrians, bicyclists, public transit riders as well as motorists. It also makes an effort to focus on children, the elderly and persons with disabilities.
With this legislation, the state’s contribution to the non-federally funded portion of the project increases to 87.5 percent.
New legislation (S.3959-B/A.7822-C) will require the non-voting transit dependent representative be moved into a voting position on transportation authorities’ boards. In short, this new legislation will provide a vote — and a voice — to riders who permanently rely on transit services including bikeshares, buses and paratransit.
To protect existing labor laws on behalf of workers, Hochul signed legislation (S.5994C/A.1338C) that establishes a registration system for contractors and subcontractors engaged in public work and covered private projects. This law will require contractors and subcontractors to provide a series of disclosures about their businesses every two years with the Department of Labor.
The department will determine whether a contractor or subcontractor is fit to registers based on previous labor law and workers compensation law violations, including prevailing wage requirements. This law will create a publicly available database.
Furthermore, notable previously signed laws that are set to go into effect in 2023 include the establishment of a task force and annual report to examine social media and violent extremism.
The Electric Vehicle Rights Act, which prevents a homeowners association from adopting or enforcing any rules or regulations that would effectively prohibit, or impose unreasonable limitations on the installation or use of an electric vehicle charging station, is set to go into effect on Jan. 21.
In this year, student-athletes will be able to receive endorsement compensation, and New York schools will be prohibited from taking away the scholarships or eligibility of any athlete making money from such endorsements.
A new oncology center has opened up in Flatbush Brooklyn.
The nearly 39,000 square foot facility, located at 2236 Nostrand Avenue, opened its door to patients on January 2, 2023. The new facility will be operated in conjunction with the New York Cancer and Blood Specialists and Memorial Medical Care, a practice of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center physicians, according to a release.
“Our innovative collaboration will give area residents the best of both worlds — world-class cancer care overseen by some of the best cancer centers in the country, all available closer tohome in a comfortable setting,” Jeff Vacirca CEO of New York Cancer and Blood Specialists, said in a statement. “We are excited to open our doors in this community which has such great culture and diversity, as well as opportunities to make a positive impact.”
Patients who have more complex cancer care, including surgery, will have access to Memorial Sloan Ketterings various outpatient programs across New York City. In King County, there is a Memorial Sloan Kettering Brooklyn Infusion Center located at 557 Atlantic Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn. There are over a dozen different locations throughout New York City that potential patients could utilize.
Every day when I’m out talking to my fellow New Yorkers across the five boroughs, I hear the same things.
All of us want a strong economy, safe streets and subways; more affordable housing; support for working families and a great education for our children.
When I took office as your Mayor a year ago, I pledged that we would Get Stuff Done in these areas, and I am proud to report that we have done just that.
The economy is roaring back, with over 150,000 private-sector jobs added between January and October.
Subway ridership is higher than it has been in two years.
Tourism has recovered to 85 percent of pre-pandemic levels, supporting jobs across every sector, from hotels to restaurants, bars and shops.
After two years of the COVID pandemic, New York City is back.
I can feel the energy everywhere I go, and I can see the difference from when I was on the campaign trail.
Much of this is due to our determination to focus on public safety from Day One.
While New York remains the safest big city in America, we know that people need to be safe and to feel safe.
That’s why we worked so hard to address crime, disorder and quality of life issues on every front.
The good news is that crime is down.
Major crimes have dropped this November from where they were a year ago, and transit crime is down nearly 13 percent — due in large part to our surge of NYPD officers in the transit system.
We’ve removed nearly 7,000 illegal guns from our streets, and gun arrests are at a 27-year high.
At the same time, we are offering alternative pathways to New Yorkers living in areas that are at high risk for gun violence — for example, job opportunities and training with organizations like BlocPower.
Housing our neighbors has never been more important, and I have called for an all-hands-on-deck effort to build half a million new units of housing over the next 10 years.
We are already scaling up our efforts on this front, building more affordable housing across the five boroughs, and investing in improving the public housing that already exists.
We are also connecting New Yorkers in need to stable housing, and are taking bold measures to help our brothers and sisters with severe mental illness leave the streets and receive the medical support and services they urgently require.
Our young people have struggled over the past two years.
We must make sure that they have the tools to recover from the isolation of the pandemic and to succeed in their careers and lives.
So, we expanded the Summer Youth Employment Program to serve 90,000 young New Yorkers over the past summer.
We’ve instituted dyslexia screenings in our schools so that all our students can learn to read fluently, and we extended our services to youth in foster care so we can now support young people ages 21-26, who are facing the challenges of transitioning to independent adult lives.
And we are supporting our working families by increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit for the first time in over 20 years, putting $350 million dollars in the pockets of hardworking New Yorkers who need a break.
A safe city is also a clean and environmentally resilient city.
We started the largest-in-the-nation composting program in Queens, which we hope to expand citywide.
We are making sure that trash doesn’t collect in neglected areas, like underpasses, and we are limiting the amount of time residential trash can be left out on the sidewalk in an effort to reduce our rat population.
Our city continues to face challenges, but as 2022 draws to a close, there is much to be optimistic about.
It is an honor to be mayor of the greatest city in world, and I’m proud of what our city has accomplished together.
I’m looking forward to working for you and with you to Get Stuff Done for our city in 2023 and beyond.
New York legislators could now be the highest paid in the nation, after the electeds voted last week for a $32,000 increase.
Starting on January 1 2023, if signed by Governor Hochul, Albany lawmakers will make $142,000. According to the National Conference of State Legislators this would make them the highest paid lawmakers in the country, with California ringing in at second with a pay of $119,702.
The legislation would also limit outside income lawmakers can receive to $35,000, starting on January 1, 2025. ANy violations of the pay increase rule would also be a Class A misdeameanor.
While Governor Hochul has not yet signed the legislation, she did signal support for the legislation earlier this month.
“I believe they deserve a pay raise,” Hochul said at a Bronx press conference earlier this month, as reported by Gothamist. “They work extraordinarily hard. It’s a year-round job. I’ve been with them many times in their districts and they work very hard and they deserve it. It is up to them on whether or not they want to come back and make that effective.”
But on last Friday, Hochul did not commit to a position in an unrelated press conference, as the New York Post reported.
“I have many bills on my desk … so I will address that in proper time,” she said.
Lawmakers last received a pay increase in 2019, where the salary was increased to $110,000 from $79,500.
Governor Hochul vetoed legislation concerning freelancer work last week.
The Freelance Isn’t Free Act, sponsored by Brooklyn State Senator Andrew Gounardes, would have created a right to a written contract from a hiring party for contracts over $250, creating a process for the Department of Labor to investigate complaints and the ability for the Attorney General to investigate patterns of non-payment, among other changes.
“Much of the language in this new section 191-d in the Labor Law is drawn from existing language in Article 6 that provides wage theft protections for traditional employees, creating parity between the two different types of laborers,” according to the bill’s memo.
Citywide legislation on the issue was passed in 2017. Complaints are handled through the New York City Department of Consumer and Workplace Protections. More than $1.3 has been recovered in penalties or restitution from 2018 and 2019 complaints alone, according to the bill.
The bill argues that the enforcement mechanism at a citywide level isn’t strong enough as the New York City Department of Consumer and Workplace Protections, as they cannot compel hirers to pay, leaving freelance workers to take their cases to small claims court.
A 2019 study commissioned by the Freelancers Union, UpWork and the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment found that over a third of New York City residents are freelance workers.
“It’s unfortunate that this holiday season will leave freelancers out in the cold, but that only strengthens my resolve to go back to Albany nex year and keep fighting to protect these workers,” Senator Gounardes said in a statement.
According to a report from the Independent Economy Council, 59% of freelance workers are owed $50,000 or more for their work.
“With 39% of the entire U.S. workforce freelancing this year and a total of $1.35 trillion in annual earnings to the U.S. economy from freelance contributions, we are saddened by the Governor’s calculation that there is not enough room in our budget to adequately protect the growing independent workforce in the state,” Executive Director of the Freelancers Union Rafael Espinal said in a statement. “We thank the legislature for passing this significant legislation and we will be no doubt back in January to make sure we get this done next session.”
“The National Writers Union and the tens of thousands of freelance writers, authors and media workers in NYS are extremely disappointed in the Governor’s veto. Freelance Isn’t Free simply requires a written contract and payment within 30 days of invoicing, which should be the bare minimum in worker protection,” Larry Goldbetter, President of the National Writers Union, said in a statement. “To veto a package of bills over a lack of funding for the Department of Labor at the last minute is disturbing, particularly when Freelance Isn’t Free, like the other bills in the package, passed both houses in a legislative session that ended over six months ago. This is especially concerning given that Governor Hochul was elected in November with the support of unions and workers.”
State Senator Andrew Gounardes sponsored the recent freelncer protection bill which was vetoed by the Governor. (Credit: NY Senate Media Services)
