Council Not Moving
DC 37 Applies Heat On Residency Bill

By MEREDITH KOLODNER

After failing to sway City Council Speaker Christine Quinn in face-to-face meetings, District Council 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts, will hold a press conference Oct. 29 at City Hall to publicly pressure Ms. Quinn and other key Council Members to support lifting the residency requirement for 45,000 DC 37 members.

LILLIAN ROBERTS: Getting in Quinn's kitchen.

DC 37 is hoping to turn up the political heat on Council Members whom they have backed in the past. Framing the issue as one of equity for the mostly minority members affected, the union is squaring off with the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus, which is aligned with Ms. Quinn in opposing the bill in its current form.

'Do What's Right'

"At our press conference, we will call on the Speaker and all the City Council members to ignore politics and do what's right," said Ms. Roberts in a statement. "It is time to end this outdated requirement that discriminates against the least of us who are trying to move forward."

The union believes it is unfair that only some city white-collar workers, Teachers, firefighters and police officers can live in six state counties that surround the city. The Mayor agreed over a year ago as part of a contract deal to change the law, but the Council has balked over concerns about the loss of jobs for city residents.

ROBERT JACKSON: 'Not playing politics.'

"They can target me all they want. I'm already a target; I'm the co-chair of the Black and Latino caucus," said Manhattan Councilman Robert Jackson. "I'm not playing politics with this. I'm looking at what's in the best interests of my constituents and the constituents of my colleagues."

The union was hoping that a sit-down meeting with Ms. Quinn, and calls to the Mayor's Office, would break the deadlock, but little progress on a solution was made.

"Speaker Quinn is currently discussing the residency legislation with her colleagues in the Council, many of whom have concerns," said Andrew Doba, a spokesman for Ms. Quinn.

Wants Initial Residency

Mr. Jackson, like several other caucus members, said he would be willing to support the bill if it was changed to require members to initially live in the city, allowing them to move out after a number of years.

JOSEPH ADDABBO: 'Do bill right.'

"It dries up the opportunities for the people of New York City," said Mr. Jackson. "I'm not willing to do that."

Union officials contend that their affected members, who are mostly clerical and blue-collar, should have the same opportunities as other city workers, and they point to the housing crisis as a central reason for the bill. "We had 300 families with children living in shelters," said Ms. Roberts. "Some had relatives they could have moved in with who lived outside the city, but these workers would have been in job jeopardy if they had moved."

Currently, someone living in a nearby county can be hired by the city for one of the affected positions, but they have to move to the five boroughs within 90 days.

Chair's Reasoning

"All I need is one sentence at the end of the intro of the bill," said Councilman Joseph P. Addabbo Jr., who chairs the Civil Service and Labor Committee, where the bill must be introduced. "You must be hired as a city resident."

Union officials have asked for an up or down vote for it, claiming they have enough support to pass the bill, but Mr. Addabbo disputed that assertion.

"It doesn't make sense to vote down the bill, because it also sends a bad message to workers that we don't want them to have a choice," said Mr. Addabbo. "If we're going to do this bill, let's do it right. I still have hope we can do it."