Under the NY HERO Act, workers can request the creation of a workplace safety committee to assess the effectiveness of security protocols and raise health concerns, among other tasks. But so far, workers have little recourse when employers fail to comply. An amendment to the law awaiting the governor’s signature would create stricter penalties for noncompliance.
City Limits rounds up the latest housing and land use-related events, public hearings and upcoming affordable housing lotteries that are ending soon.
Eric Adams’ “Housing Our Neighbors” blueprint is missing key details about how to track and accomplish its broad goals, according to critics. City officials pledged to include the updated benchmarks in a revised Mayor’s Management Report (MMR), an annual assessment of municipal agency performance over the previous fiscal year.
‘The accusation that the labor shortage is to blame for non-accredited programs’ plummeting recruitment numbers is just smoke and mirrors. Such programs pose as accredited apprenticeships that strive to combat the “labor shortage” by connecting hopeful workers to seemingly stable career pathways and safe jobs. But this is far from reality.’
During its last meeting of the legislative session Wednesday, the New York City Council passed a landmark ban on the use of gas in new buildings. Another bill aimed at reducing the use of plastic utensils with take-out and delivery orders was never called for a vote.
‘We are seeing a rampant level of opposition to every suggestion of new housing going back to before the COVID-19 pandemic. If we are going to address the housing shortage and fuel the recovery, we must strengthen our practices to ensure there is always a net positive for communities.’
A construction worker died building a $10,000 per square foot development. His death went unacknowledged and the developer was only charged a $12,500 fine, a Documented investigation found.
‘We need Albany to act now. By addressing wage theft and giving exploited workers a more secure path to recouping unpaid wages we will be taking a major step towards making sure that immigrant workers are given the dignity entitled by their hard and important work.’
‘Body Shops specialize in selling the labor of re-entry workers like me because they know how to take advantage of our unique vulnerabilities as Black workers who spent time behind bars.’
A recent analysis of the city’s Certificate of No Harassment pilot says it has been effective in combating some forms of landlord harassment, but that the city could do more to strengthen the program to better protect tenants.
City Limits uses investigative journalism through the prism of New York City to identify urban problems, examine their causes, explore solutions, and equip communities to take action.
Founded in 1976 in the midst of New York’s fiscal crisis, City Limits exists to inform democracy and equip citizens to create a more just city. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded by foundation support, ad sponsorship and donations from readers.
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