News from BALCONY

Governor Paterson Names Advisory Committee to Help Health Care Reform Cabinet

GOVERNOR PATERSON SELECTS BALCONY TO ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO HELP HEALTH CARE REFORM CABINET

BALCONY this week (Tuesday) was named by Governor David Paterson to the Health Care Reform Advisory Committee, which will provide input to the Governor’s Health Care Reform Cabinet on the implementation of federal health care reform in New York State. The Advisory Committee includes 37 organizations representing health care providers, consumers, businesses, organized labor, local governments, health plans and health insurers, and health policy experts.

“Federal health care reform will have a significantly positive impact for New York’s residents, families, small business owners and the 2.5 million New Yorkers who are currently uninsured,” Governor Paterson said. “It is essential that we get health reform right, making the most of this opportunity to improve access to health care while reducing cost. Our broad advisory group will help us achieve this goal.”

“BALCONY is honored to be a participant in the Governor’s panel to continue to find common ground between business and labor on the implemental of health care reform in New York State,” stated BALCONY Director Lou Gordon. “For the past 3 years we have been working with small businesses, labor unions, health care advocates, providers and trade associations in helping to forge a workable coalition that provides affordable Health Care for New Yorkers. In fact, in April HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius detailed the new Health Care Law to a BALCONY New York City Symposium which featured a broad range of experts, providers and consumers.”

BALCONY has in fact held public and private health care forums in Buffalo, Rochester, Albany, White Plains, Nassau County and New York City all designed to provide a positive discourse on the Health Care needs of all New Yorkers,” stated BALCONY co-chair Alan Lubin, formerly Executive VP of NYSUT.

“Our BALCONY concerns have focused on the affordability, availability, portability of health care benefits to business and recipients, insuring young adults and the provision of electronic medical records,” stated BALCONY co-chair Bruce Ventimiglia, Chairman of Saratoga Capital Management.

The Advisory Committee will advise the Cabinet on reform provisions and ensure stakeholder and public engagement in all aspects of federal health care reform. It will support the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act. In addition, Advisory Committee Workgroups will be created to focus on specific issues and additional organizations with expertise will be asked to join those work groups. A series of public forums across the State will also be held to provide opportunities for further stakeholder input.

Wendy Saunders, Deputy Secretary for Health, Medicaid and Oversight and Chair of the Health Care Reform Cabinet, said: “I commend Governor Paterson for his dedication to health care reform and for his efforts to expand access to quality health care for all New Yorkers. Implementing federal health care reform is a complex task, and many decisions must be made by the end of this year. We need public participation and input to help make reform a success and the Advisory Committee is an essential part of that input.”

The Health Care Reform Cabinet is responsible for:

• Identifying deadlines for the completion of interim or final steps necessary or desired to comply with the provisions of federal health care reform;
• Determining those provisions of federal health care reform with which the State must comply and those that are optional, and evaluating whether participation in optional programs is appropriate;
• Assessing the State’s capacity to carry out those provisions of federal health care reform that affect or potentially affect the State;
• Identifying any changes needed to State statute, regulation, policy or procedure in order to implement such provisions, and facilitating the achievement of such changes as necessary;
• Communicating with the federal government, local governments, other states, health care providers, and other stakeholders as advisable or necessary; and
• Providing public outreach to educate individuals on the implementation of the reforms as necessary.

Under Governor Paterson’s leadership, New York State has become a national leader in expanding access to quality health care for children and adults through its public health insurance programs, including Child Health Plus, Family Health Plus, Healthy New York and Medicaid, while implementing efficiencies to ensure that funds are used in the most cost-effective manner. New York is the only state in the nation with both open enrollment and pure community rating and has been a leader in efforts to guarantee access to private health insurance coverage.

Organizations participating in the Governor’s Health Care Reform Advisory Committee include:

• 1199 SEIU
• AFL-CIO
• Business and Labor Coalition of New York
• Business Council of New York State
• Centerstate CEO
• Chamber Alliance of New York State
• Children’s Defense Fund
• Coalition of New York State Public Health Plans
• Community Health Care Association of New York State
• Community Service Society
• Consumer Directed Choices
• Empire Justice Center
• Family Planning Advocates
• Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency
• Greater New York Hospital Association
• Health Care for All New York
• Healthcare Association of New York State
• Hispanic Federation
• Medicaid Matters
• Medical Society of the State of New York
• Medicare Rights Center
• National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS
• New York Health Plan Association
• New York Immigration Coalition
• New York State Association of Counties
• New York State Association of Health Underwriters
• New York State Conference of Blue Cross Plans
• New York State Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare
• New York State Health Foundation
• New Yorkers for Accessible Health Coverage
• Office of the Mayor of New York City
• P2 Collaborative of Western New York
• Partnership for New York City
• Project CHARGE
• United Hospital Fund
• Visiting Nurse Service of New York
• Young Invincibles

For additional information on health care reform implementation in New York State, please visit: www.HealthCareReform.ny.gov.

BALCONY Celebrates 75th Anniversary of Social Security with Events in NYC

From Left to Right (Nancy True, Director, IBT-Local 30 Retirement Division, David B. Roosevelt, Congressman Charles Rangel; Birthday Cake for Social Security; Charles B. Roosevelt, Speaker of the NY City Council, Christine Quinn; Lou Gordon, Director, BALCONY, Bruce Ventimiglia, Co-Chair, BALCONY, Alan Lubin, Co-Chair, BALCONY)

New York City (August 19^th, 2010) – Throughout the month of August, BALCONY, the Business and Labor Coalition of New York (www.balconynewyork.com), has worked with the New York State Office for the Aging, AARP, the New York State United Teachers, Hunter College’s Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute, and many others to celebrate the 75^th anniversary of Social Security with events across New York State. 

On Thursday, August 19^th, the Social Security Diamond Anniversary Committee, whose members include the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA), the Business and Labor Coalition of New York (BALCONY), AARP, the NYS Alliance for Retired Americans (NYSARA), Local 237/IBT/Retiree Division, Services Now for Adult Persons (SNAP), the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), and the Institute for Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly, Inc. (IPR/HE), convened a series of Social Security birthday celebration events in New York City. The programs included brief speeches by beneficiaries, experts, relatives of the Roosevelt family, and elected officials, as well as entertainment, refreshments, and testimonials – as well as an evening panel moderated by journalist Jane Pauley.

The message of the day was clear:  Social Security works for the nation and for the residents of every state and America cannot afford to cut it.  Citing Social Security’s $2.6 trillion dollar surplus (projected to grow to $4.3 trillion by 2023) as well as the drastic consequences for beneficiaries were the program to be slashed or benefits reduced (without Social Security nearly half of seniors over 65 would sink below the poverty line) speakers argued that efforts in Washington to cut or privatize Social Security as a means to reduce the nation’s growing federal debt are essentially political posturing and unwarranted. The idea of raising the retirement age from 67 to 70 was universally rejected.

 On August 14^th, 1935 President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Social Security program into law, asserting his belief that every American has a right to freedom from want and to certain critical protections from the unforeseeable and the inevitable. 

75 years later the promise of Social Security continues to deliver – providing a critical social safety net for all Americans and ensuring that no American suffer unduly just because they are old, or sick, or the victim of catastrophic circumstance. 

Bruce Ventimiglia , Co-Chair of BALCONY and President/CEO of Saratoga Capital Management - “BALCONY, like Social Security, was created with the intention of leveling the playing field; of protecting all Americans, whether old or young, sick or healthy, fortunate or not.  We applaud the spirit of Social Security and will continue to work to ensure that it is available for future generations of Americans.”

Lou Gordon, Director of BALCONY, said, “We are thrilled to be a part of the celebration of 75 years of Social Security.  BALCONY believes in maintaining and promoting the integrity and the promise of Social Security now and for future generations of Americans.”

Additionally, two groups, Social Security Works and Strengthen Social Security, released a new joint report, “Social Security Works for New York.” The data presented in this impressive report speaks volumes about the importance of Social Security to families, communities and state and local economies as well as the future viability of the program. Nancy True, Director of the Retiree Division of Local 237, IBT, and Suleika Cabrera-Drinane, President and CEO of the Institute for Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly, Inc. (IPR/HE) (pictured above) introduced the findings of the report and discuss their significance at both events. 

At a final evening event the eminent journalist Jane Pauley moderated a panel Thursday night at Hunter College’s Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute that featured academics, historians, and policy analysts who discussed the history and future of America’s Social Security program. 

The panel (from left to right) Eric Kingson, Professor of Social Work, Syracuse University School of Social Work as well as Co-Director of Social Security Works and Co-Chair of the Strengthen Social Security Campaign; Jane Pauley, panel moderator; Kirstin Downey, author of “The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life of Frances Perkins, FDR’s Secretary of Labor and his Moral Conscience” ; and John Rother, Executive Vice President of Policy and Strategy, AARP; Barbara Kennelly, President & CEO, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare

Hunter College President Jennifer Raab gave the opening remarks.

The goal of the panel was to gain a better understanding of the origin and early years of Social Security and to use that understanding as a pretext to engage in a broader conversation dealing with the future of the program, questions over its solvency, and the veracity of charges that Social Security must be cut or privatized in order to deal with the nation’s rising deficit. 

Alan Lubin, Co-Chair, BALCONY and moderator Jane Pauley

Giving the closing remarks Alan Lubin, Co-Chair of BALCONY and former Executive Vice President of the New York State United Teachers, said, “Social Security is a hugely important program, not only for seniors and the retired, but for younger Americans who are the victim of job related injury, disability, or death of a parent or spouse.  An estimated 3 out of 10 working men and 1 out of 4 working women will become severely disabled before reaching retirement age.  For these folks Social Security is more than a convenience, it is a vital safety net.  Additionally, Social Security is the major life and disability insurance protection for more than 95% of New York’s children.  Social Security is a cornerstone of the American promise and we must remain vigilant in our support of it, especially in these tough political times when special interests and partisan politics threaten the integrity of this critical program – we cannot allow it to become watered down.”

Pictures from Left to Right (Bill Henning, VP, CWA Local 1180; Congressman Anthony Wiener; Michael Burgess, Director, New York State Office for the Aging; Lois Aronstein, New York State Director, AARP;Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer; Dennis Hughes, President, NYS AFL-CIO; Andy Pallotta, Executive Vice President, NYSUT; Social Security Beneficiaries; Beneficiary Speaks; Mel Aronson, Treasurer, UFT; Bruce Ventimiglia, Co-Chair, BALCONY, Jane Pauley, Lois Aronstein, Director, New York State AARP; Evening Panel at Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute, Hunter College)

Report by Nicholas Kapustinsky, Research and Communications Director, BALCONY

BALCONY * 481 8th Ave. * Suite 1202 * New York, NY * 10001 * 212-219-7777

loug@balconynewyork.com * balconynewyork.com *

Social Security Works for New York

A report by Social Security Works and Strengthen Social Security

Debate rages in Washington about how to reduce our nation’s growing federal deficit,
and pundits and politicians alike propose cutting Social Security.

It doesn’t seem to matter that Social Security has not caused the federal deficit, and the program has a $2.6 trillion surplus today, which is projected to grow to $4.3 trillion by 2023.1 Nor does it seem to matter that the housing equity and retirement savings of many Americans collapsed during the nation’s Great Recession. Cutting Social Security’s protections – especially for middle‐aged and young workers – will undermine Social Security as a financial
foundation, and often a financial lifeline.

Read the full report by clicking here: SS Works

BALCONY Celebrates 75 Years of Social Security

New York City (August 19th, 2010) – Throughout the month of August, BALCONY, the Business and Labor Coalition of New York, has worked with the New York State Office for the Aging, AARP, the New York State United Teachers, Hunter College’s Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute, and many others to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Social Security with events across New York State.

On August 14th, 1935 President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Social Security program into law, asserting his belief that every American has a right to freedom from want and to certain critical protections from the unforeseeable and the inevitable.

75 years later the promise of Social Security continues to deliver – providing a critical social safety net for all Americans and ensuring that no American suffers unduly just because they are old, or sick, or the victim of a catastrophic circumstance.

Speaking about the importance of Social Security Alan Lubin, Co-Chair of BALCONY and former Executive Vice President of NYSUT, said, “Social Security is a hugely important program for seniors and the retired providing financial security for millions of Americans. Moreover Social Security is a major benefit for younger Americans who are the victim of job related injury, disability, or suffer the death of a parent or spouse. An estimated 3 out of 10 working men and 1 out of 4 working women will become severely disabled before reaching retirement age. For these folks Social Security is more than a convenience, it is a vital safety net. Additionally, Social Security is the major life and disability insurance protection for more than 95% of New York’s children. Social Security is a cornerstone of the American promise and we must remain vigilant in our support of it, especially in these tough political times when special interests and partisan politics threaten the integrity of this critical program – we cannot allow it to become watered down.”

Bruce Ventimiglia, Co-Chair of BALCONY and President and CEO of Saratoga Capital Management, LLC added, “BALCONY, like Social Security, was created with the intention of leveling the playing field, of protecting all Americans, whether old or young, sick or healthy, fortunate or not. Social Security is important for America’s businesses as it helps to provide for the financial security of workers and their families. We applaud the contributions that Social Security has made to our country and to our fellow New Yorkers. BALCONY will continue to work to ensure that Social Security’s crucial benefits are available to future generations of Americans.”

Lou Gordon, Director of BALCONY, said, “BALCONY celebrates 75 years of Social Security. BALCONY believes in maintaining and promoting the integrity and the promise of Social Security now and for future generations of Americans.”

BALCONY, the Business and Labor Coalition of New York, represents more than 1,000 New York businesses, labor unions, and trade associations. BALCONY seeks common ground in the public policy debate in New York to spur economic development through the adoption of business/union friendly, socially responsible common sense laws that maintain and improve the quality of life for working New Yorkers.

BALCONY Announces 21 New Members Since January 2010

NEW YORK, NY (08/05/2010)– BALCONY, the Business and Labor Coalition of New York (www.balconynewyork.com), today, Wednesday, announced 21 new members since January 2010. The members of BALCONY include labor unions, businesses, trade associations, not-for-profits, and chambers of commerce.

Bruce Ventimiglia, co-chair of BALCONY and president and chairman of Saratoga Capital Management, expressed his excitement that the BALCONY coalition (formed in 2006) is growing so rapidly, “It’s really great to see the commitment BALCONY has received from both the business and labor ends of the spectrum as they are coming together to find common ground on New York public policy issues that effect all of us.”

“It is wonderful to see so much interest in BALCONY and what it represents,” said Alan Lubin, a co-chair of BALCONY and formerly the Executive Vice President of the New York State United Teachers, “what’s great about our members is that they know it’s not what you get out of BALCONY that’s important, but what you put into it. We don’t always agree on everything, but we are all deeply committed to finding and pursuing common sense, common ground solutions to the problems facing New Yorkers.”

New BALCONY Members Since January 2010:

Rochester and Genesee Valley Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, (www.rgvalf.org), MVP Health (www.mvphealthcare.com), Infrastructure USA (www.infrastructureusa.org), Northeast Securities (www.nesec.com), Concrete Alliance (www.theconcretealliance.com), Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc. (www.tpna.com), Residential Home Funding (www.rhfunding.com), The Advance Group (www.theadvancegroup.com), Transparent Health Network (www.transparenthealthnetwork.com), Impact Plus, HAKS (www.haks.net), Content Critical (www.contentcritical.com), readMedia (www.readmedia.com), Life Line Screening (www.lifelinescreening.com), Entre Computer (www.entrecs.com), GSP Network (www.gspnetwork.com), JuniperHill (www.juniperhillam.com), OTG Management (www.otgmanagement.com), Pulse Marketing (www.pulsemarketinggroup.com), Belluck & Fox (www.belluckfox.com), and BMRx (www.bmr-inc.com)

BALCONY, the Business and Labor Coalition of New York, represents more than 1,000 New York businesses, labor unions, and trade associations. BALCONY seeks common ground in the public policy debate in New York to spur economic development through the adoption of business/union friendly, socially responsible common sense laws that maintain and improve the quality of life for working New Yorkers.

BALCONY has relocated our offices to: 481 8th Avenue * Suite 1202 * New York, NY * 10001
Our phone number remains the same: 212-219-7777

www.balconynewyork.com

Permalink: http://readme.readmedia.com/BALCONY-Announces-20-New-Members-Since-January-2010/1662533

Posted under News from BALCONY

Governor Paterson Proclaims August Social Security Anniversary Month, BALCONY to Co-Sponsor 75th Anniversary Celebration

August 3rd, 2010

Posted under News from BALCONY

Layoff Threat Looms Anew

July 27th, 2010

by Casey Seiler

ALBANY — As the Legislature prepares to return to Albany, Gov. David Paterson issued some of his toughest words yet for lawmakers and another group he’s been at odds with for months: state worker unions.

“I think the planning for layoffs is going to have to begin immediately,” Paterson told reporters Monday morning after throwing out the first pitch at a tee-ball championship in Lincoln Park.

Elaborating on comments made last week by state Budget Director Robert Megna, Paterson said the move was necessary because of unions’ ongoing resistance to granting concessions that would trim $250 million from the work force budget.

Last week, Megna said the number of layoffs and the timetable for implementing them will depend on the results of an early retirement option designed to cull the public employee rolls.

“I don’t know what the date would be that we would have to have layoffs,” Paterson said, “but since the work force would not negotiate a lag period, which would have been a shared sacrifice for everybody, or a furlough, which would have been a process where everyone gave a little so everyone could stay working, some unfortunate people who don’t deserve it are going to get laid off.

“And it burns me to have to say it, because I don’t think it’s fair to them. But it’s the only way we’re going to be able to balance our budget,” Paterson said.

The furlough plan, which Paterson forced past the Legislature in an emergency budget extender, was struck down by a federal judge two months ago.

Paterson said last year’s “memo of understanding,” or MOU, between his administration and the powerful state workers unions PEF and CSEA — guaranteeing no layoffs through 2010 in exchange for labor support of the now-instituted Tier V pension package — was “a plan” that was going to have to be adjusted along with the state’s fiscal outlook.

“I sat down and worked out an agreement with the unions a year ago, but that presumed that we would get greater stimulus money from Medicaid. We lost what may be a billion dollars from that source, and everybody is going to have to make a sacrifice,” he said.

“Everybody finds a way that someone else should make the sacrifice, and that they shouldn’t,” he said. “And I don’t think that’s a very good culture, or the spirit of New York. It’s not the way New Yorkers addressed this problem 80 years ago.”

In a response statement, CSEA President Danny Donohue insisted that the MOU was a binding agreement. Also, “talk of layoffs under these circumstances is counterproductive, impractical and bad for New Yorkers all around,” he said. “They may also constitute bad-faith bargaining.”

PEF President Kenneth Brynien said it was “unconscionable for the governor to continue scapegoating state employees and their families for the fiscal crisis, or use them as pawns in his negotiations with the Legislature.”

Brynien said the governor would be better off ordering agency heads to make the retirement incentive available to as many workers as possible. When a similar incentive was offered last year, it fell short of its target number — in part because agencies were reluctant to give up the positions that would be eliminated after the worker’s retirement.

Paterson spokeswoman Jessica Bassett said that the Budget Division was currently receiving final plans for the incentive program — including the specific titles of those slated to get it — from the individual agencies.

She said the administration was encouraging the agencies to be “aggressive.”

All told, the state hopes to lose between 3,000 and 6,000 workers this year through the incentive, although retirements from the judiciary and SUNY won’t be complete until the end of 2010, Bassett said.

State workers can take a degree of comfort from the fact that Paterson had equally hard words for lawmakers.

“The type of budget the Legislature is proposing will put us back in the hole,” said the governor, whose agenda for Wednesday’s extraordinary session includes many of his original revenue proposals — including a tax on sugary beverages and the introduction of wine sales in grocery stores — that lawmakers have shown little appetite for. Also on Paterson’s agenda: a contingency plan for the possible loss of Medicaid funds, and a plan to revise tuition-setting power for some SUNY and CUNY campuses.

While the governor can compel lawmakers to come to Albany for the extraordinary session, they can gavel in and out without taking up any of his proposals. Paterson was asked if he would look at the Legislature’s refusal to even accept his revenue bills as a slap in the face.

“I think it’s already a slap in the face — but it’s not personal,” he said. “It’s not my face they’re slapping. It’s the faces of the people of the state of New York.”

The current plan is to hold a session at 6 p.m. Wednesday, with a Thursday session to follow if sufficient progress isn’t made. Paterson said he wanted to see the results of those sessions before deciding whether or not to call both houses back for additional ones.

Paterson met Monday afternoon in New York City with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson. Emerging from that meeting, the governor said he wouldn’t comment on the Legislature’s alternative proposals until his staff analyzes them.

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Posted under News from BALCONY, State Budget

Love him or hate him, hard to ignore him

July 23rd, 2010

‘Living wage’ fight brings both positive and negative attention to retail union chief Stuart Appelbaum.

by Daniel Massey

He doesn’t boast the money, members or political might of some of New York’s heaviest hitters in labor, but these days retail union President Stuart Appelbaum is creating a ruckus that belies his organization’s size.

In December, he engineered the defeat of the Kingsbridge Armory redevelopment by demanding that all the retail jobs created by the project pay at least $10 an hour, plus benefits—the only time a City Council land-use vote has gone against Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Mr. Appelbaum wasted little time after that in pushing a citywide living-wage bill that ticked off administration officials, developers and even some unions, which contend that it would be a job killer.

Last week, the bill got a boost when the powerful building workers union, 32BJ SEIU, threw its weight behind it.

The 57-year-old was the most vociferous union leader to call for Gov. David Paterson to step aside and clear the way for Andrew Cuomo to run for governor, again angering other unions, who would have preferred a more understated approach. And he was the first labor leader to back Mr. Cuomo, making headlines for his union, but simultaneously providing the gubernatorial hopeful with cover to unveil bold policy pronouncements that could hurt public-sector unions.

All that came after a fall election cycle in which Mr. Appelbaum confounded politicos and made himself persona non grata at City Hall when he flirted with endorsing Mr. Bloomberg, but ended up a gung-ho supporter of his rival, William Thompson, garnering plenty of ink and airtime.

No subtlety

Most labor chiefs prefer to conduct their lobbying and advocacy behind closed doors, quietly building transactional relationships with elected officials, but subtlety is not Mr. Applebaum’s forte. The president of the 100,000-member Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union operates very much out in the open, skillfully making use of the press to inflate a power he otherwise lacks in terms of money or members. In 2009, the union donated just $96,125 to candidates in local, state and federal races and to political committees. Its 45,000 members spread among various locals in the city lack the get-out-the-vote operation that makes candidates covet the endorsements of other unions.

“It seems like every time you open a newspaper or turn on a TV, you see him standing there with some Democratic leader,” says Jack Kittle, political director of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades DC 9, who was angered by Mr. Appelbaum’s handling of Kingsbridge. “I don’t know if he believes getting in the newspaper makes him an effective labor leader, but I’d prefer to see him out organizing in the stores.”

The other unions don’t disagree with the message Mr. Appelbaum spouts—that workers deserve to earn a wage that will let them live in the city—but they say his style often drives wedges between labor groups and can be counterproductive. His go-it-alone approach has sparked particular tension with the building trades, who were so angry after Mr. Appelbaum killed the Kingsbridge deal and the 1,000 union construction jobs that would have come with it that they’ve requested a meeting with his parent union, the United Food and Commercial Workers, to discuss potential changes to their support of local labor’s anti-Walmart pact.

Creating a firestorm

Mr. Appelbaum doesn’t consider Kingsbridge a victory, but he says that, had the project proceeded, “we wouldn’t be talking about living wage today.”

Indeed, Mr. Appelbaum has succeeded in creating a public policy firestorm around living-wage mandates on publicly subsidized projects, upending an uneasy truce that had existed between developers, unions and activist groups in which they typically negotiated deals on a project-by-project basis. The mayor has repeatedly said that living-wage mandates for retail jobs would make projects economically unfeasible and stifle development. The ensuing commotion prompted the city to commission a $1 million study on the feasibility of tying a living wage to public projects.

Mr. Appelbaum’s stand against “institutionalizing poverty” in the city was born out of a sense of justice, he says, that developed early in his life. His father was a postal clerk and his mother a file clerk. Neither was politically active, but Mr. Appelbaum developed a political consciousness by reading his father’s union newspaper and attending synagogue. In his east midtown office, he displays his father’s American Postal Workers Union card and a poster featuring a line from Deuteronomy: “Justice, justice shalt thou pursue.” He holds up the framed print and says, “It’s the moral imperative for what I do.”

Hooked on organizing

Shortly after graduating from Harvard Law School, he landed a job as chief counsel for the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C. There, he worked with various unions and got hooked on organized labor.

“I felt the real politics were the sort practiced by unions because they were truly looking to make a difference in people’s lives,” he says. “With electoral politics, it wasn’t value-driven, but more about people trying to achieve positions.”

He joined RWDSU as special projects coordinator and rose through the ranks to become secretary treasurer and, in 1998, president. A year ago, Mr. Appelbaum announced that he is gay, a fact he made public so that he could speak out in favor of marriage equality legislation.

He commands a union in an industry that is notoriously difficult to organize because of its low profit margin and high worker turnover. And so a citywide living-wage mandate is perhaps his best chance at raising the floor for retail workers, 44% of whom earn less than $10 an hour, according to the Fiscal Policy Institute. Under Mr. Appelbaum, RWDSU has added about 25,000 new members—including some 1,400 Filene’s Basement workers who signed up with the union last week—but that’s been just enough to make up for losses as traditional, unionized department stores have consolidated or shut down.

To help with organizing, he’s formed strategic alliances with various community groups Mr. Appelbaum’s Retail Action Project has won small, but significant victories—like organizing workers at the Yellow Rat Bastard retail chain and securing millions in unpaid wages for retail workers across the city.

New alliances

“He’s created a new paradigm for organizing by forging deep partnerships with community organizations and investing in those relationships,” says Andrew Friedman, executive director of Make the Road New York, one of RWDSU’s community partners.

And he’s formed an alliance with Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., whose strong stance in favor of living wages was instrumental in swinging the Kingsbridge vote and in raising his profile for a potential 2013 run for City Hall.

“Stu’s ideas and visions are not myopic,” Mr. Diaz says. “They’re long-term and expand beyond just retail workers. He truly wants a better future for all New Yorkers.”

Few would doubt that. But the question remains: Will he be able to parlay the attention to living wage into tangible gains for his members and other retail workers? Or has he isolated himself to the point where his biggest “victory” could end up being the defeat of Kingsbridge?

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BALCONY and USI Affinity host ‘The Long Goodbye’ in Seattle, A Celebration of the Retirement of NYSUT VP Alan Lubin

July 16th, 2010

Lou Gordon, Director BALCONY; Al Lubin, Co Chair BALCONY; Mark Sweetland, President USI Affinity; Michael Mulgrew, President UFT

The New York State United Teachers have lost a giant. Alan Lubin, the inveterate Executive Vice President of NYSUT, has officially retired after 17 years at that post. On Wednesday, July 7th, BALCONY, the Business and Labor Coalition of New York, along with co-sponsor USI Affinity hosted a celebration of Mr. Lubin’s retirement. The event took place at the Sharaton hotel in Seattle and was attended by more than 75 friends and colleagues who gathered to celebrate the long and illustrious career of Mr. Lubin and to send him into retirement in style. Various members of the American Federation of Teachers voiced their respect and admiration for Mr. Lubin and expressed their deep regret that he would no longer be with them. Lubin, 66, is expected to continue to have a role on boards, including his post as Co-Chair of BALCONY, post-retirement. His influence helped persuade lawmakers to continue record levels of public investment in schools, including an override of gubernatorial vetoes in 2003 when Gov. George Pataki desired cuts.

Posted under News from BALCONY

BALCONY Hosts Breakfast Forum with Chris Ward, Executive Director of The Port Authority of NY & NJ

July 1st, 2010

“ In less than two years, the Port Authority’s forecasted 10-year capital capacity for the period running from 2007 to 2016 has been reduced from $29.5 billion to $24.5 billion. The agency is further challenged by a growing need for long-term transportation capacity-enhancing projects and investment in state-of-good-repair programs, including maintenance of existing bridges and tunnels, the cost of which has risen to more than $500 million per year, while facing mounting security costs since September 11, 2001. The Port Authority’s net capital expenditures and return on investment are inverse, our budgeted operating expenses are well below our annual cpi growth, and our staff headcount is at its lowest in 40 years…this system is choking the capacity of our region – our model has to change .”
-Chris Ward, Executive Director of the Port Authority of NY & NJ, 6/25/10

New York City – On Friday, June 25, BALCONY, the Business and Labor Coalition of New York, hosted a breakfast forum at the Vicinity Carpenters Labor Management Corporation (395 Hudson St.) featuring Chris Ward, Executive Director of the Port Authority of NY & NJ. The theme of the event was ‘Building the Region in 2010 and Beyond’ and included expert panelists who discussed the state of infrastructure in New York State and nationally.

Elly Spicer, Field Representative for the New York and Vicinity Carpenters Labor Management Corporation welcomed the audience, which included approximately 150 representatives of labor, business, non-profits, and coalitions. She then introduced Bruce Ventimiglia, Co-Chair of BALCONY and President/Chairman of Saratoga Capital Management, LLC. Ventimiglia spoke about BALCONY’s history and mission and expressed his excitement about the event. He then introduced the event’s moderator, Director of BALCONY Lou Gordon. Gordon spoke briefly about the themes of the forum before introducing Chris Ward, Executive Director of the Port Authority of NY & NJ to talk about the Port Authority’s plans and perspective on the state of infrastructure in 2010 and beyond.

Ward spoke glowingly about the Port Authority’s progress in building the World Trade Center memorial and said the project was on track to be completed by the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. On another note, Ward focused on the cash-crisis facing the Port Authority and lamented that there is little money or political capital available to move forward on the myriad of infrastructure projects New York State desperately needs to focus on.

The other panelists responded to Ward’s speech and gave their individual perspectives on the state of infrastructure in the region and beyond.

Dr. James Melius, administrator at LECET, President of the New York Roadway Improvement Coalition, and a BALCONY executive board member, spoke about a study his coalition did that found that an increase in gas taxes of just $40 per individual would be enough to close the deficit facing the Port Authority. Additionally Dr. Melius highlighted the importance of generating public campaigns aimed at galvanizing communities and rallying them around a pro-infrastructure agenda, something the Laborers’ is already undertaking nationally.

Robert Ledwith, President of The Metallic Latherers and Ironworkers Local 46, decried the state of infrastructure in New York State and nationally and spoke to the fact that there is simply not the political will necessary to invest in infrastructure in this country. He attributed this to a change in the national philosophy in the 1980’s, the so-called “Wall Street” decade. Ledwith suggested that without a shift in political attitudes, away from wholesale greed and towards a sense of common destiny, there is little hope that America can get on top of its infrastructure crisis.

Mary Ann Crotty, President, Macro Associates, spoke about how much the situation at the Port Authority and MTA has changed since she worked in the Mario Cuomo administration. Crotty suggested that many of the problems facing both organizations relate to borrowing and spending tactics that have landed them both in debt. She also suggested that some form of congestion pricing would solve many of the problems facing New York City, the Port Authority, and the MTA. However, she noted that other factors like health care costs, which are eating up the budgets of the two authorities, must be addressed.

Steve Anderson, founder of InfrastructureUSA.org, spoke about the crisis of infrastructure in terms of a crisis of communication. That is, infrastructure activists have had a hard time making their case to the public. Anderson warned that without a real infrastructure movement the United States may be facing third world conditions in the near future. Anderson’s website, InfrastructureUSA.org, is a forum where people from across the country can go to learn more about infrastructure, share their thoughts, and organize.

Following the panel, Lou Gordon thanked the audience, panelists, and the many sponsors of the event. Tickets were given away for two to ‘Next to Normal,’ a play on Broadway, provided by sponsor CBS NewsRadio880, as well as two tickets to a Knicks game provided by sponsor Al Handell and Content Critical, and two tickets to a Yankees game provided by sponsor Joe Stamm and MedReview.

Posted under News from BALCONY

 

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