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New York's Retail Workers

01/04/09
The recent holiday shopping season was a particularly difficult one for stores in New York City but retail workers had already been dealing with low wages and limited benefits, according to a report by the Fiscal Policy Institute. The report, "Low Wages, No Bargain," found that, of the 1.3 million city residents who earn $13 per hour or less, almost one in seven work in retail. More than 44 percent of store workers earn less than $10 hour.

Keeping Kids Out of Gangs

12/31/08
The Police Department has reported an 11 percent increase in gang related crime since 2005. To help stem this rise, Public Advocate Besty Gotbaum held roundtable discussions in all five boroughs and came away with such recommendations as increasing alternatives to detention for youth and the creation of a public/private fund to preserve and expand youth programs.

Prevailing Wages for Affordable Housing?

12/29/08
Imposing government determined prevailing wages for affordable housing construction could increase total development costs by about 25 percent, according to a recent report by the Citizens Housing and Planning Council. They also found no evidence to suggest that construction safety or quality would improve, as some have argued, by imposing the wage rates. The report further suggests that many black and Latino laborers could lose their jobs if the higher wages were imposed, since they are disproportionately found in the lower wage sectors of the construction industry.

Female Homicide Victims

12/24/08
Fifty-five percent of female homicide victims in New York state last year were murdered as a result of a domestic incident, according to a new report by researchers at the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.

A Worsening Fiscal Outlook

12/23/08
New York City faces an even grimmer fiscal picture than the one outlined by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, according to a new report by State Comptroller Thomas DeNapoli. While the city will end this fiscal year with its budget balanced, DeNapoli foresees a budget gap of $3.5 billion for fiscal year 2010 and $8 billion for 2011. Bloomberg projected a $3 billion deficit for 2010. DeNapoli attributes his new estimate to the worsening economy situation and likely cuts in state aid to the city.

A Blueprint for Growth

12/19/08
"One City/One Future: A Blueprint for Growth That Works for All New Yorkers" is the product of four years of collaboration by civic leaders, neighborhood advocates, community development organizations, labor unions, affordable housing groups, environmentalists, immigrant advocates, and others. It offers policy 54 recommendations.

Children's Health Survey

12/18/08
According to a new survey by the Commission on the Public's Health System, 93 percent of the city's children have health care and 80 percent are able to get regular check-ups. But families that don't speak English faced challenges. Nearly one-third of such families could not find a doctor that spoke their language and the same amount were not provided translators. In Staten Island, 63 percent of non-English speaking families had no translator.

Getting Around New York

12/17/08
Rides on mass transit and bicycle commuting increased during New York's boom of 2003 to 2007, but vehicle traffic remained unchanged. This was the first time since World War II when a growth in car traffic did not accompany increases in the other areas, according to "Sustainable Streets Index," a study by the city Department of Transportation. Overall, transit ridership increased by 9 percent over the period studied by the report.

Comptroller Forecasts Larger Budget Hole

12/16/08
City Comptroller William Thompson Jr. released an analysis of the mayor's November budget modification and predicted the city's deficit would be larger in this budget year than initially expected. The report says the budget hole in fiscal year 2009 could be $1.9 billion, decrease to $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2010, and increase again to $5 billion by fiscal year 2011.

New York City Unemployment in 2009: The Emerging Crisis

12/15/08
As the national economy entered the downturn, New York City indicators held steady, but a new report from the Fiscal Policy Institute indicates that the recession is clearly here in full force and labor market conditions are likely to deteriorate rapidly in the months ahead. The number of unemployed New York City residents could rise by 120,000 over the next year, escalating the hardships felt by tens of thousands of New York families and straining the social safety net.

The City Council's Human Rights Record

12/12/08
According to a report card by the Human Rights Project, the City Council as a whole scored 76 percent for their efforts to advance equal employment rights for vulnerable populations. But they scored only 35 percent for their record of advancing democracy and only 7 percent for protecting the rights of workers. The highest ranked individual members were Letitia James, Charles Barron and Tony Avella. The bottom of the list was filled by Lew Fidler, James Vacca and Melinda Katz.

Health Care and Gays and Lesbians

12/11/08
Gays and lesbians experience hostility and discrimination when seeking care in the city's public hospitals and they do not receive care that accounts for their specific health disparities, according to a new report by the public advocate's office. The report recommends that the Health and Hospitals Corporation require and provide sensitivity training for their employees, and create a liaison for issues relating to the gay and lesbian community.

Weak Laws Mean More Gun Crimes

12/07/08
A new report from the bipartisan coalition Mayors Against Illegal Guns, headed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, finds states with weak gun laws have more gun crimes. The report analyzes data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It found West Virginia had supplied the country with the most guns used in crimes out of state per 100,000 people in 2007.

Ravitch Commission Report

12/05/08
To rescue the Metropolitan Transportation Authority from a financial sink hole, the Ravitch Commission recommends: Enacting a payroll tax on corporations in the region; tolls on the Harlem and East River bridges; a fixed schedule of fare hikes pegged to inflation; implementing a bus rapid transit program; reforming the authority's governance structure; and increasing transportation and accountability.

Immigrants' Housing Squeeze

12/04/08
Immigrants living in New York City are faced with more housing problems than natives in most every respect, according to a new report by the Pratt Center for Community Development and the New York Immigrant Housing Collaborative. They put more of their income towards rent, are more likely to live in overcrowded and illegal dwellings, and have less access to affordable housing.

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