A RECOVERY FOR ALL OF US: MAYOR DE BLASIO, LABOR UNIONS, INDUSTRY LEADERS AND ADVOCATES CALL ON THE STATE TO PASS COMMUNITY HIRING LEGISLATION

 

Community Hiring legislation will allow the City to address economic disparities exacerbated by COVID-19 by connecting low-income people and economically disadvantaged communities to good jobs and apprenticeship opportunities; Once implemented, the program would create an estimated 200,000 jobs over five years for these individuals and communities

 Mayor Bill de Blasio, labor unions, industry leaders and advocates today called on the State Legislature to pass Community Hiring legislation, which will harness the City’s economic power and help ensure a fair and equitable recovery by providing employment and apprenticeship opportunities for low-income people and residents of economically disadvantaged communities or NYCHA. 133 organizations recently sent a letter to the State Legislature in support of the Mayor's plan.

 

“COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on low-income communities and communities of color,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “A recovery for all of us will be built by focusing on these communities and creating good jobs for the people who need them the most. Community hiring legislation will put more money in the hands of working people by creating new opportunities for New Yorkers in need to succeed. I urge the State Legislature to join the cause and pass community hiring into law.”

 

"Community Hiring has long been a demand from communities of color in New York City. A key way we can lift people out of poverty is to bring job opportunities to those who haven't had them," said Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives J. Phillip Thompson. "I stand alongside the coalition of over 130 advocates in labor and advocacy to call on the State to pass Community Hiring. As I have said in the past, City dollars can do more than get work done, they can lift people out of poverty. A good job is the best anti-poverty program we can support."

 

Economic disparities have widened due to the economic and health effects of COVID-19. State legislation would allow the City to develop and implement a Community Hiring Program to help reverse that trend. For construction and building service labor, hiring goals are based on geographic areas that are economically disadvantaged. For other work, such as a technology or inspection services contracts, hiring is based on an individual’s income. This plan would generate an estimated 40,000 jobs annually for target individuals and communities, and would provide an estimated $1 billion in wages and benefits for newly hired individuals during the first full year of the program. Over the next five years, the City estimates the Community Hiring Program will generate nearly 200,000 jobs for low-income people and residents of economically disadvantaged communities.

 

This legislation enables the City to connect contractors with apprenticeships and referral sources such as workforce development programs that will help them meet their hiring goals by training and referring qualified talent. Such workforce development programs could include ones that typically serve NYCHA residents, people with disabilities, justice-involved individuals, CUNY graduates or immigrants.

 

“We’re proud to work with our partners at both the city and state level to ensure this Community Hiring legislation serves as a pathway to not just jobs, but real middle-class careers for New Yorkers from historically underserved neighborhoods. This legislation recognizes the fundamental role of union pre-apprenticeship and direct-entry programs in launching the careers of working people, and ensures that the immediate economic impact of shovel-ready New York City construction projects will benefit minority New York neighborhoods with opportunity, investment, and good middle-class careers with benefits. We’re thankful for the City’s leadership in advancing this important legislation, and we will continue to advocate for its passage through the New York State Senate and Assembly,” said Gary LaBarbera, President of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York

 

“Community Hiring legislation will ensure that New Yorkers in underserved neighborhoods have a pathway to middle-class career opportunities and that those most heavily impacted by the pandemic can get back to work. This legislation recognizes that apprenticeship and workforce programs are an investment in the future of our city and that the economic impact of building activities needs to be felt in every neighborhood across the five boroughs. The Building Congress is proud to partner on this effort with City leadership and the building industry, and we urge the State Senate and Assembly to pass this measure, which will help our city recover from the impact of COVID-19.” said Carlo A. Scissura, Esq., President & CEO, New York Building Congress.