City Hall Conflict
DC 37 Residency Deal Not So Close

By REUVEN BLAU and MEREDITH KOLODNER

More than five weeks after City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced that she and District Council 37 were "very, very close" to an agreement on a residency bill, the legislation remains stuck in an ever-widening political abyss.

CHRISTINE QUINN: Optimism was premature.

Sources indicated last week that the hold-up came from the west wing of City Hall, where Bloomberg administration officials objected to the reported compromise agreement that would allow current DC 37 members to live in six state counties surrounding the city but require new employees to live in the city for two years.

Mayoral officials, however, pointed the finger back at the Council.

'Let Us See a Bill'

"Before the city can say if it is for or against a two-year compromise on residency," said mayoral spokesman Jason Post, "we have to review legislation. We have asked the Council for a bill to review and are still waiting to receive it."

In response, the Council acknowledged the stagnation. "Residency requirements are a complicated issue," said spokesman Anthony Hogrebe, "and while the Council has had productive conversations with DC 37, we have not yet come to an agreement on residency legislation."

A spokesperson for DC 37 said, "We continue to have discussions on coming to a consensus - and we are hopeful that the goodwill of all will carry us to a satisfactory conclusion.

The Mayor and the union agreed to lift the residency requirement for 45,000 members when DC 37's last contract was announced in the summer of 2006. The deal would have allowed them to live in Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, Orange, and Putnam counties - a right already extended to firefighters, cops, Teachers and a range of DC 37 members, depending on title. But the change required the City Council's approval and many Council Members, including leaders of the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus, objected, fearing that city residents would face stiff competition for the jobs from outside the five boroughs.

DC 37 Dug in Heels

Negotiations stalled for months, with the union refusing to compromise. Officials framed the issue as one of equity and civil rights for the remaining DC 37 members, many of whom work in lower-paid positions. They also emphasized the dearth of affordable housing and argued that members should be allowed to live in less-costly areas outside the city.

But on Feb. 21, Ms. Quinn told the AFL-CIO New York City Central Labor Council delegates assembly, "I can tell you that we've moved from a place where we were almost at a stalemate, honestly, to a place where we're having some very productive conversations, and I think we are very close to a compromise that we will be able to get passed in the near future."

DC 37 officials told a March 25 union delegates assembly that they were still working on this issue. One person who attended the meeting said frustration with the delay was widespread. "They keep saying they're working on it, but they keep coming back with the same story and there's nothing new to report," the union source said.