CM James Comments on Equal Pay Day

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
April 12, 2011

FIFTY YEARS AFTER THE EQUAL PAY ACT BECAME LAW, AMERICAN WOMEN ON AVERAGE EARN ONLY 77 CENTS FOR EVERY DOLLAR EARNED BY THEIR MALE PEERS

April 12, 2011 is Equal Pay Day

“Today, many families rely on women's earnings, and the gender wage gap is a still a serious threat to all within this country. Statistics show that nearly 4 in 10 mothers are primary breadwinners for their families, and almost two thirds are primary or co-breadwinners.

Also, married mothers earn only 69 cents for every dollar compared to their male counterparts, and single mothers earn 58 cents for every dollar earned by married men with children. And the wage gap is most severe for women of color. In one year, the average black woman earns approximately $12,000 less, than the average white man does. For Latina women, the figure is $17,837 less.

The fight for pay equity is a battle taking place on the federal, state, and city levels.

In 2010, I introduced a resolution into the City Council calling upon Congress to pass and the President to sign into law the Paycheck Fairness Act. In October of last year, I wrote a letter to Senator Tom Harkin (Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions), as well as Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Congresswoman Rose DeLauro, and President Barack Obama, requesting that the legislation be passed. Unfortunately, it became clear in November 2010 that the Senate would fail in moving forward with the bill. However, President Barack Obama said in March 2011 that he will continue to fight for the goals in the Paycheck Fairness Act.

New York State is currently in the process of reviewing similar legislation— the New York State Fair Pay Act. The bill would make it an unlawful for an employer to discriminate on the basis of sex, race, and/or national origin through paying different wages to employees. Yesterday, this bill passed the State Assembly, and is currently in the New York State Senate.

I am working to create legislation on the citywide level that addresses the issue of pay equity. My efforts began with the help of New York Women’s Agenda in 2009. Although much authority to legislate wage issues lies with the State, I am confident that the New York City Council could pass legislation that eliminates wage-based discrimination, and secures pay equity for women throughout the City.

On this Equal Pay Day working women should know that their government supports them and fights for them against wage-based discrimination. Go to the link below to learn more. Lastly, please share with someone special that today, April 12, is Equal Pay Day.”

- Council Member Letitia James, 35th Council District, Brooklyn.

http://abetterbalance.org/web/images/stories/Documents/ForFamilies/ABB_Fact_Sheet_-_Equal_Pay.pdf

CMs James, Viverito, and Local/Federal Elected Officials Join Unions In Support of Wisconsin Workers

THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

FEBRUARY 27, 2011
CONTACT: Joe Taranto, Council Member Viverito’s Office
Aja Worthy-Davis, Council Member James’ Office
(212) 788-7081, aworthydavis@council.nyc.gov


NEW YORK ELECTED OFFICIALS HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE IN SOLIDARITY WITH WISCONSIN WORKERS, UNIONS AND LEGISLATORS

New York, NY – More than a dozen federal, state and city elected officials representing communities throughout the City of New York gathered today on the steps of City Hall to stand in solidarity with the workers, labor unions and their colleagues in government Wisconsin as they continue their arduous fight against crippling budget cuts and union busting. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, in an unprecedented attack on our nation’s middle class public sector workforce, has proposed to strip unions of their collective bargaining rights. Attendees of the press conference, which also included representatives from SEIU 32BJ, hailed their Democratic colleagues in government, who have courageously stood up to the governor by keeping the Legislature from acting on a bill that would eliminate hard-won protections for teachers and other state workers. The struggle in Wisconsin is one that may set the stage for other efforts to undermine labor unions and workers’ rights in other states, including the state of New York.

“We have gathered here today to thank our Democratic colleagues in government for their courage in standing up to Governor Walker’s attempts to dismantle Wisconsin workers’ collective bargaining rights,” said Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito. “As we heard in the prank call made to Governor Walker, his actions are part of a clear, concerted and coordinated national attack against the working class and labor unions. What we are seeing in Wisconsin will have reverberating effects throughout the United States, and that is why we stand in solidarity with all of the workers, unions and elected officials in this struggle for justice.”

"I stand strong with the unions and elected officials of Wisconsin in saying no to this attack on working families through a blatant act of union-busting," said Council Member Letitia James. "The City of New York stands in solidarity with Wisconsin worker's collective bargaining rights."

"Collective bargaining is not the cause of deficits in Wisconsin nor any other state in our country. This attack on unions is just an attempt to use the public's economic insecurity and fears to eliminate a fundamental American principal that belongs to all working people. If we didn't have the unions we wouldn't have the middle class as we do today," said Congressman Charles Rangel. "Thanks to their struggles, common sense ideas once unacceptable -- the 40-hour work week, the eight-hour day, the minimum wage -- are now considered basic. Instead of trying to scapegoat unions and pit workers against each other, leaders should be bringing people together so that they can address the serious challenges that we face as nation."

The proposal by Governor Walker would not only have most state workers cover more of their health care premiums and pension contributions, but would also limit collective bargaining to wages only, and even then, if a negotiated wage increase is beyond the inflation rate, it would leave that increase up to the voters. This proposed change to collective bargaining sets a new standard in a state government’s efforts to engage in union busting. The unions have proposed a compromise whereby workers would contribute more to health care and pensions, but the Governor has refused to negotiate further.

“We must fight back against the special interests that are trying to destroy the fundamental rights of working Americans. The times we are in call for shared sacrifice, but Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is cynically using a budget deficit to eradicate the right of workers to bargain collectively.
For him and other ideologues, this is about grinding a political axe, not about closing a budget gap. Here in New York, we stand with our brothers and sisters in Wisconsin and for the belief that we must work with stakeholders to responsibly solve our fiscal challenges,” said Public Advocate Bill de Blasio.

"When politicians demagogue about public servants, their pensions, collective bargaining or other hard earned benefits, it is our democracy that is being attacked," said Senator Bill Perkins. "This must stop! Tax the rich!!"

The Wisconsin Assembly has already passed the budget proposed by Governor Walker, including the removal of collective bargaining rights. However, the proposal still requires Senate approval. To prevent the Senate from reaching the quorum necessary to hold a vote on the budget, the 14 Democratic members of the Wisconsin State Senate fled to neighboring Illinois over a week ago, and have yet to return. Even under immense pressure, these senators have remained steadfast in opposing efforts to take away collective bargaining rights from public sector unions.

“The collective gains of workers in the last half century were the reward of hard fought negotiations with agreement on both sides that our country’s workers should be able to support and better themselves and their families.
What we are seeing in Wisconsin is an assault on that idea, and an attempt to roll back the clock on worker’s rights,” said Assemblyman Robert Rodriguez. “I stand in solidarity with our Democratic colleagues in government because I know this is not a budget issue. It is a wake up call that even the social contract between government and its citizens is in peril. It’s up to us to demonstrate what true family values are.”

"I stand here today with my fellow NY Legislative Colleagues and Union Leader Representatives to unite and support our fellow Wisconsin public union workers in protesting a move to severely curtail their collective bargaining rights", said Assemblyman David Weprin. "The recent Wisconsin Assembly's passage of Governor Walker's proposal to "strip" public workers of their collective bargaining rights is unconscionable."

State legislatures across the country, including Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, Illinois, California, Michigan, Alaska and Iowa are considering proposals that would also limit or significantly alter the collective bargaining rights state employees and public sector unions. Right here in New York City, the Mayor has proposed changes to our pension system for public employees and tenure system for teachers. The growing anti-union tenor among some elected officials throughout the U.S. makes the struggle in Wisconsin all the more important.

“I applaud our fellow Democrats in Wisconsin for their unwavering stand against massive budget cuts and the unfair targeting of union workers,” said Council Member Margaret Chin. Governor Walker’s proposal is a strike to the core of what it means to be a unionized worker in this country. Labor unions fought long and hard for the right to collectively bargain with their employers. I know it hasn’t been easy for Wisconsin Democrats to leave their jobs -- and their homes -- but it is worth the sacrifice to protect dignity and democracy in the workplace. Budget cuts that take aim at teachers, the public sector, and the working middle class are unacceptable. I stand behind our Democratic colleagues in government and thank them for their courage while under attack.”

“Using our current economic situation to take away the benefits middle class workers have fought so hard for is unjust and potentially devastating to our communities," said Council Member Daniel Dromm. “That is why we must stand in solidarity with the workers of Wisconsin and support the efforts of the elected officials that have stood up for their rights. The governor of Wisconsin needs to understand that unions have a right to organize and protect the very futures they have worked so hard to secure. He must realize that balancing the books on the backs of Wisconsin’s hardest working people will only serve to destabilize the very bedrock of the economy.”

Today’s press conference is the latest in a series of rallies held in New York City and in cities and states throughout the United States to show support for the workers, unions and Democratic elected officials of Wisconsin.

“Educating our kids, keeping our neighborhoods safe, assisting seniors and the most vulnerable among us are noble jobs – so important that we’ve organized ourselves into a democracy and agreed to pay collectively for these public services. Demonizing the people who provide them – as though they are to blame for what ails us – is not only an attack on workers, but an attempt to demonize the idea of government, and undermine the social contract,” said Council Member Brad Lander.

"This legislator in New York City salutes her brothers and sisters in Wisconsin who are taking a stand for the principal of collective bargaining and the rights of public employees," said Council Member Rosie Mendez.

"We all understand that the country is going through tough economic times and we all have to share the burden, but Governor Scott Walker's effort to slip in the destruction of collective bargaining rights is an actual assault against working people. Healthy labor relations lead to better working conditions, wages, and quality of life. To turn on 100 years of strong union organizing under the guise of economic hard times is unconscionable. I stand with Wisconsin's public workers, unions, and other elected officials as we fight to save the rights of working people. Our leaders have now found the fortitude to show their dislike for the working class and poor people of this country. If we lose in Wisconsin, it's the beginning of the end of collective bargaining everywhere," said Council Member Jumaane Williams.

The attendees of the press conference were also joined by Hector Figueroa, Secretary Treasurer of 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union.
With more than 120,000 members along the East Coast, including 70,000 in New York, 32BJ SEIU is the largest property services local union in the country.

"The attacks on public workers in Wisconsin and around the country are not motivated by fiscal concerns alone. They are part of an unprecedented campaign against all middle class families and working people. Union busting masquerading as balancing the budget is still union busting,” said SEIU 32BJ Secretary Treasurer Hector Figueroa. “Rebuilding our economy should be about strengthening our middle class and not attacking the institutions that protect standards for working families."

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Elected Officials Present: Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito (D-Manhattan/Bronx)
Council Member Letitia James (D-Brooklyn)
Congressman Charlie Rangel (D-Manhattan)
Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-Manhattan)

State Senator Bill Perkins (D-Manhattan)
Assembly Member David Weprin (D-Queens)
New York City Comptroller John Liu
Council Member Margaret Chin (D-Manhattan)
Council Member Daniel Dromm (D-Queens)
Council Member Brad Lander (D-Brooklyn)
Council Member Jumaane Williams (D-Brooklyn)
Council Member Steve Levin (D-Brooklyn)
Council Member James Van Bramer (D-Queens)
Council Member Mark Weprin (D-Queens)

Council Member Deborah Rose (D-Staten Island)
SEIU 32BJ Secretary Treasurer Hector Figueroa

CM James and Peace Advocates Call On Military Cuts To Fund Citywide Budget Deficit, Human Needs

On April 15, 2010, Council Member Letitia James joined peace and hunger advocates from Brooklyn for Peace, Westside Campaign Against Hunger, and the Hunger Action Network of New York State to call for military cuts to fund the Citywide budget deficit and human needs.

Council Member Letitia James joined advocacy groups on the steps of City Hall on Thursday, April 15, 2010 to announce the upcoming introduction of a Council resolution urging the United State Congress to cut the military budget to help solve the City budget deficit and other urgent human needs such as affordable housing (including Section 8 vouchers), child nutrition programs, job training and development, and education program.

Joining Council Member James at the news conference were Mark Dunlea of the Hunger Action Network of NYS; Doreen Wohl of the Westside Campaign Against Hunger, Christy Robb of Hour Children, and Brooklyn Peace Coalition.

New York City is presently facing a $4.9 billion budget deficit. To resolve the deficit, the Mayor has proposed draconian cuts to essential city services and jobs. The Council resolution will urge the state's Congressional delegation to see cuts in the record military budget proposed by President Obama to provide funding to state and local governments to deal with the massive budget deficits throughout the country.

The resolution also asks that military spending be transferred to support job creation, affordable housing, anti-hunger programs, environmental protection, education and other essential human needs. For instance, anti-hunger groups and Senator Gillibrand are seeking an additional $4 billion annually in funding as part of the reauthorization of the various federal child nutrition programs (e.g., school and summer meals, WIC). The Senate Agriculture Committee, however, is proposing only a $450 million increase.

The City recently announced that in addition to rescinding 2,600 Section 8 housing vouchers it had promised low-income cuts, the lack of federal funds may require it to cut off 10,000 existing families receiving federal section 8 housing assistance. Advocacy groups note that New York taxpayers have paid $81.4 billion just for Iraq and Afghanistan war spending since 2001. According to the National Priorities Project, taxpayers in New York will pay $63.2 billion for Total Defense Spending in FY2010.

For more information on this issue, please call the Office of Council Member Letitia James at (212) 788-7081.

ATTENTION: Upcoming Community Events

Representative Yvette D. Clarke will host a Special Congressional Briefing on the Temporary Protection Status for Nationals of Haiti. Come and have your questions answered by representatives from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security- Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Thursday, January, 28, 2010
6pm- 8:30pm
SUNY- Downstate Alumni Auditorium
395 Lenox Road (btwn. New York Avenue & East 34th Street)
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11203
Call (718) 287-1142 for more info.


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"Promoting Good Health in a Challenging Economy"
The Woodhull Medical Center

The Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center's Community Advisory Board cordially invites you to attend a legislative breakfast-

Friday, February 5, 2010
10am - 12noon
Woodhull Medical Center- Auditorium
760 Broadway, 3rd level
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11206

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Meet the Lenders: Inaugural Lender and Business Matchmaking Event

Small Business Owners may meet with loan officers from SBA-participating lenders and learn about loan sources on then City, State, and Federal level. Experts from 8(a) Division and SBA resource partners- SBDCs, SCORE, WBCs, and Chamber of Commerce- will attend.

Monday, February 8, 2010
10AM-2PM
76 Federal Plaza
(6th Floor Conference Room)
New York, NY 10278

Information/Register- Contact Man-Li Lin at man-li lin@sba.gov
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And tonight, President Obama presents a State of the Union [Brooklyn for Barack will host a viewing party- complete with stimulating discussion- at Moe's Bar & Lounge at 70 Lafayette Avenue], and Assembly Member Hakeem Jeffries gives his State of the District.

ATTENTION: U.S. Senate Youth Program

United States Senate Youth Program


Each year the William Randolph Hearst Foundation sponsors a scholarship for two student leaders from each state and the District of Columbia to visit Washington, D. C. (all expenses paid), as guest of the Hearst Foundation; and a $5,000 college scholarship for undergraduate studies at an accredited United States college/university.

During the visit to Washington, D.C., students engage in a series of seminars and briefings with U.S. Senators and members of the House of Representatives, as well as meet with officials from the executive and judicial branches of government.

Important 2010-2011 United States Senate Youth Dates
August 2, 2010- Announcement of the 2010-2011 United States Senate Youth Program
October 8, 2010- Student Application forms + essays due
November 8, 2010- Semi-Finalist Interviews
49th Annual United States Senate Youth Program that will take place in Washington, D.C. March 5-12, 2011
For more details, visit http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/socst/senateyouth.html

CM James Fights for Business Opportunities, Small Businesses

Council Member James has used her position in the New York City Council to strengthen small businesses- from leading the NYCC's Contracts Committee to address the administrations Department of Education outsourcing book contracts to large out-of-state companies over local bookstores, to co-sponsoring local laws 2005/129 and 2008/067, and Resolution 1773-2009. This important legislation increased opportunities and benefits for minority-and-women-owned (MWBE) businesses, especially. Local law 129 specifically increased opportunities for certified MWBE's to bid on public contracts, increase their capacity, and effectively contribute to the City's economy. You can read more about the history of the legislation here.

Additionally, Council Member James has always offered her personal support and encouragement to small businesses in the 35th District. She has consistently encouraged local businesses to hire youth and unemployed adults in the communities they serve, and early-on supported expansion of the Brooklyn Navy Yard to create more industrial business opportunities.

In her continuing effort to build upon small business opportunities, the Council Member James has drafted a resolution in support of U.S. Representative Yvette Clarke's Congressional bill H.R. 3771, a bill that was amended and re-introduced into Congress in October 2009. This bill was designed to aid MWBE small businesses in building their capacity in the industry of construction. The bill would amend the Small Business Act to charge the United States Small Business Administration with establishing and/or expanding mentorship programs, and identifying problems and creating solutions to meet construction needs/demands. The bill was recently amended to include veteran-owned small construction companies, as well as to establish grant programs to enhance access to specialized education and resources.

Council Member James looks forward to using her position in the New York City Council and as Chairperson of the Council's Contracts Committee to strengthen business opportunities, and helping small businesses stay afloat in these harsh economic times.

US Congress Committee on Oversight/Government Reform Holds Hearing; 4/21; 10AM; BK Borough Hall

The United States House of Representatives' Committee on Oversight & Government Reform will host a Full Committee Field Hearing entitled "The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009: The Role of State and Local Government."

DATE: Tuesday, April 21, 2009

TIME: 10 am

LOCATION: Brooklyn Borough Hall
209 Joralemon Street (Downtown Brooklyn)
Brooklyn, NY 11201

SPONSOR: Congress Member Ed Towns

Note: The hearing is a follow-up to the recent Town Hall Forum on the Economic Stimulus Package (The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009) held on April 4, 2009 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) by Representatives Ed Towns and Yvette Clarke. All are invited to attend and/or submit testimony.

Reps. Towns and Clarke host Congressional Town Hall to Discuss Federal Stimulus Money; 4/4; 9:30AM; BAM

Congress Members Ed Towns (D,10) and Yvette Clarke (D,11) are hosting a 2009 Federal Economic Stimulus Package Town Hall Forum. Representative Towns currently serves as the Chair of the Congressional Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. We've asked constituents in the past to contact federal elected officials concerning what they want to see happen with stimulus funds; now, we think it's important that you attend this forum to learn about where these funds are going.

Please note-
*The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama on February 17, 2009. The Act was based largely on proposals made by President Obama and is intended to provide a stimulus to the U.S. economy in the wake of the economic downturn. The Act includes federal tax cuts, expansion of unemployment benefits and other social welfare provisions, as well as domestic spending in education, health care, and infrastructure (including the energy sector). Specifically to New Yorkers, the Act makes investments in communities, creates 215,000 New York-based jobs, protects existing positions and creates over 14,000 NYC education jobs, increases funds to NYS and NYC to help the unemployed, funds "shovel-ready" projects in Brooklyn and other boroughs, and cuts taxes and increases benefits for working families.

If you are interested in learning more about the direct benefits of stimulus funds, please join us-

When: Saturday, April 4, 2009 at 9:30AM
Where: BAM Cinema III
30 Lafayette Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11217