Tossing a lifeline to the New York City Housing Authority, Gov. Eliot Spitzer signed legislation that increases the shelter allowance the state provides to $47 million phased in over three years for public housing authorities serving families on public assistance. The governor’s approval follows months of tireless activism by Local 237 along with allies in state and local government, other unions, and housing advocates, who came to NYCHA’s rescue when it announced its latest budget crisis in the spring.

Local 237 President Gregory Floyd, speaking at City Hall, is flanked by State Assemblymember Annette Robinson and State Assemblymember Brian P. Kavanagh, as City Councilmember Rosie Mendez looks on.

“I am pleased that Governor Spitzer saw the wisdom in passing this critical legislation,” said Local 237 President Gregory Floyd, adding, “Although it is not a longterm solution, the bill is a fair and timely one that will help save union jobs and affordable apartments in a city with skyrocketing housing costs.”

Local 237’s fight to right the wrongs in NYCHA’s budget had intensified since March last year when we held a rally to protest continued budget cuts by the Bush administration. On May 31 this year, Floyd testified before the City Council’s Subcommittee on Public Housing to request additional funding for the struggling agency, and on June 12, the union held another rally at City Hall where thousands of supporters called for a stop to NYCHA cuts to protect tenant services and save housing jobs.

The full-court press continued over the summer to convince Spitzer to sign the bill. Local 237, along with City Council members and housing advocates, held a rally outside City Hall on July 24. The next day, at the New York Conference of Teamsters, held in Lake George, N.Y., the New York State Alliance of Teamsters, representing 170,000 members, passed a resolution (See “Joint Councils’ Resolution” on the right) in support of Local 237 members, calling upon Spitzer to sign the bill, which had been passed by both houses of the New York State Legislature in June.


Teamsters Are Unified

Floyd, who attended the conference with Gary LaBarbera of Council 16, John Bulgaro of Council 18, and Ron Lucas of Council 43, said, “This resolution demonstrates that the New York State Alliance of Teamsters is unified in its support of the Maximum Shelter Allowance Bill.” More importantly, noted Floyd, was the “support for our 8,000 members who are directly affected, both professionally and personally, by budget cuts for public housing. It shows that inaction is unacceptable.”

Most recently, on Aug. 10, Floyd joined a group of New York State legislators and housing advocates in the City Hall rotunda to urge Spitzer as the deadline approached to sign the bill that would help avert layoffs, service cuts, rent and fee increases and further loss of affordable public housing.

The legislation, sponsored by Assemblyman Vito J. Lopez and Sen. Andrew J. Lanza, will close the gap between what the state pays private landlords an average $450 a month and what it pays public housing authorities an average $168 a month according to a statement by New York City Councilwoman Rosie Mendez, chair of the Subcommittee on Public Housing. “The disparity has cost NYCHA millions of dollars a year, swelling the agency’s budget deficit to nearly $225 million,” said Mendez, who with City Council Speaker Christine Quinn spearheaded a letter in July to Spitzer from 40 city legislators urging him to sign the bill.