NEED RESIDENCY COMPROMISE

Need Residency Compromise

District Council 37 plans to hold a press conference at City Hall next week to publicize its frustration that the City Council has yet to approve relaxed residency rules the union agreed to with Mayor Bloomberg last summer.

DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts said she will urge the Council "to ignore politics and do what's right."

There are two mistaken assumptions in that statement, however. One is that the Council Members are in the "do what's right" business rather than the political one; the other is that it is clear-cut what the right side of this issue is.

Under the contract deal reached with the Mayor, DC 37 members could live in six suburban New York counties as well as in the five boroughs, putting them on the same footing as uniformed workers.

Ms. Roberts calls this a matter of equity for the mostly minority membership of her union. But much of the opposition to the eased residency rules comes from minority legislators, because they fear that the change would also bring more competition for city jobs from those already living in the suburbs, hurting their constituents.

Ms. Roberts has previously threatened to withhold electoral support from any Council Members who oppose the measure. She clearly hopes that Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who is expected to run for Mayor next year, can be pressured into pushing the bill.

Queens Council Member Joseph Addabbo Jr. proposed what seems like a reasonable compromise: amend the bill so that initially new employees must live in the city, but with the option of moving to one of the six suburban counties at some point after that.

This would seem to satisfy Ms. Roberts's primary concern, since the agreement was generated by the desire of veteran members of the union to relocate outside the city, and they figure to have enough time in not to have to wait if Mr. Addabbo's proposal was approved.

After more than a year of no progress on the deal she reached with the Mayor, Ms. Roberts should think hard about the wisdom of negotiating with the Council.