Issue Position: Jobs
Issue Position
Protecting and creating jobs for my neighbors is one of my top priorities. My community is home to the largest employer in the Bronx (Montefiore hospital), numerous nursing homes and senior centers and several vibrant commercial districts, but it has been disproportionately hurt by the recent recession. 13% of Bronxites are out of work, well above the city, state and national average. Four out of ten of our children live in poverty, and our families are barely making ends meet.
We must work to ensure that all members of our district have access to jobs, a living wage, and good benefits. Many residents in our community work in vital fields: teaching our children, taking care of our elderly, and saving lives as nurses and hospital workers. Yet these important jobs are often the first cut in times of economic worry. We must work to protect these jobs while promoting new job growth and development within our neighborhood.
Protect and Save the Jobs in the Community
Hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to health care and education have endangered the jobs of thousands of the hardest working members of our community. Removing health care workers from our hospital rooms and teachers from our classrooms is not the way to go. I will resist ALL cuts to the nursing homes and hospitals in our community and to our schools. Budgets must not be balanced on the backs of our neediest neighbors.
Ensure Summer Youth Jobs are Protected
New York State has proposed cutting $35 million from summer youth programs. These unacceptable cuts would cause New York City to lose more than $19 million in funding for summer youth jobs. These cuts will leave the city 28,000 jobs short. Supporting the youth in our district is vital towards establishing a vibrant future for all of us.
Promote a Living Wage for All
Community members in the Bronx know all about the fight for a living wage. The Bronx has led the city in its fight for living wage jobs. My friend, City Council Member Annabel Palma, recently introduced the "Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act," which would require that all publicly subsidized development projects pay workers a living wage. Initiatives like Palma's are a necessity for our community. We must ensure that the hardworking members of our district make enough money to feed their children and support their families.
Minority/Women Owned Business Enterprises
Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBE) are underrepresented when it comes to participation in contracting. In New York City alone, there are nearly 200,000 small businesses, with roughly 60,000 businesses in the City owned and operated by minorities. 50,000 are owned and operated by women. Yet the City has only certified approximately 2,200 firms and awarded a total of approximately $900 million in contracts (out of $15 billion in total procurement) since the implementation of the city's M/WBE program in 2005. That's less than 7% of business. The state record is not much better.
I support legislation to expand the procurement opportunities for Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs) in New York State. This proposal would double the amount of goods and services bought from for minority and women owned businesses without a bidding process, and establish standards to hold state & public agencies accountable for supporting Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs).
Green Jobs/Green Homes
In the face of growing concern about climate change and the economic recession, New York City should take action to jumpstart a local renewable energy economy. I support New York State's goal of producing 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2013. We must push New York City to do the same thing. The vast majority of New York State's renewable energy activity, and the jobs that come with it, are concentrated upstate. New York City has tremendous untapped green energy potential.
Renewable Goals for New York City. Through the right combination of energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy policies, we can raise New York City's renewable energy portfolio to at least 25 percent over the next ten years. I will collaborate with industry, labor, environmental groups, and elected officials to advance State legislation mandating ambitious renewable energy targets for solar and wind energy production in New York City. Requiring utilities to generate a portion of energy from offshore wind would bring economic benefits to New York City through the installation and maintenance jobs needed to operate large-scale offshore wind energy facilities.
Solar Financing: We must make solar panel technology accessible to homeowners, landlords, and business owners. Many New Yorkers want to outfit their homes with solar panels, and potentially sell their renewable energy to utility companies, but the purchase and installation costs are often too expensive. A solar financing program would allow property owners to finance renewable energy installation using loans that are gradually paid back through property taxes. I will work with homeowners, environmental advocates, and legislators to advance State legislation to create a municipal financing program for renewable energy. Municipal financing could not only help homeowners save thousands, but could create a host of living wage green collar jobs and sustainable business opportunities that support this developing industry.
Retrofitting. Energy costs within our district can prove to be a huge financial burden. I support The Working Families Party's "Green Jobs/Green Homes" New York campaign that will offer green "retrofits" to homeowners. By upgrading homes to be more energy efficient, and creating jobs in the up and coming field of green construction, this program could help New Yorkers save thousands of dollars each year.
Local Business Incubators
I will work to create opportunities for developing businesses to establish themselves and grow in my district as well as across the city and state. We must conduct an inventory of public properties -- City, State and Federal -- and identify unused and under-utilized space that could be transformed into affordable business space. Access to affordable space will help developing companies and entrepreneurs overcome one of the frequent challenges of doing business in New York -- the high cost of rent. Encouraging business development in growth industries will contribute to long-term local economic growth and create jobs in these neighborhoods.
Economic Summit for the 33rd District
Our greatest resource is our people -- their creativity, their talents, their hard work. As State Senator, I will use my office to encourage economic recovery in my community by convening a series of regular meetings with leaders in a wide variety of fields including our cultural, academic, business, healthcare, biotech, medicine and entertainment sectors. With these meetings, I would like to:
* 1.Help ensure that our community's strengths are being incorporated into our economic recovery in a way that encourages coordination among different sectors of our economy and with government, and maximizes their potential to flourish in New York City.
* 2.Generate a policy action plan for executing this multi-faceted approach to economic recovery. A State Senator can play an active role in advancing the agenda by utilizing the legislative process, organizing communities, and conducting oversight.
* 3.Recommend policies and practical steps to support existing industries that New York City cannot afford to lose, such as cultural institutions, which create an estimated 194,000 jobs annually statewide.
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