Construction Workers, Tenant Unions,
Small Businesses & Public Interests Groups
vs
REBNY
Campaign Goals
(1) Construction unions, in order to assure fair and safe workplaces, want state registered apprenticeship and training for all workers [(support City Council bill Intro 1447) — (update, Bill passed 9/27/17)], a department of labor that enforces all safety regulations, and sanctions against developers and contractors that will serve as a real deterrent to stop violating safety rules and wage laws.
90% to 100% of construction workers in NYC, the nation's largest building market, and NY State working under union contracts
(2) Tenants, their unions and homeless people want quality affordable housing and strong sanctions against slumlords.
(3) Small businesses, and groups like the Small Business Congress and Take Back NYC want passage of a Small Business Jobs Survival Act (SBJSA) that provides for long-term leases and arbitration.
(4) Public interest groups like Common Cause want REBNY money out of politics because it is corrupting our political system and undermines democracy.
Useful Information for Tenants
Is your building rent-stabilized? You should find out.
From Brick Underground article including interview with Aaron Carr, founder Housing Rights Initiative 10/23/17:
Article: 'We're not anti-landlord, we're anti-stealing': Talking to a self-appointed enforcer of NY's rent laws
Into this breach has stepped Aaron Carr (pictured), who founded the group Housing Rights Initiative last year. Other, long-established tenant advocacy groups challenge the stabilization status of whole buildings, but what makes HRI unique is its exclusive focus on researching buildings that collect tax breaks through programs such as 421-a and J-51, and where organizers suspect overcharges, bringing class-action lawsuits on behalf of tenants. HRI has brought 12 such lawsuits so far, including against big-time landlords Kushner Companies and Laurence Gluck's Stellar Management ...
Carr: "The truth is landlords have one of the most important jobs in New York City, because without them, who would own and manage our buildings? We would be screwed without them. So we're not anti-landlord, we're anti-stealing. And it just so happens that a lot of landlords are stealing.
Landlords are also huge contributors to politicians.Over 10 percent of contributions at a state level come from real estate, so while money can't buy you love, it can almost certainly buy you government. Our housing woes are not just housing woes, they are also campaign finance woes. None of this is by accident, and all of it is by design..."
