City
Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito (D-Manhattan) on Tuesday introduced a bill
that would guarantee higher wages, healthcare and other benefits to building
service workers at new, city-subsidized developments and newly-leased city work
sites.

Council
Members Fernando Cabrera (D- the Bronx),
Julissa Ferreras (D-East Elmhurst) and Brad Lander (D-Brooklyn) joined
Mark-Viverito, members of the 32BJ union, Make the Road New
York and the
National Employment Law Project in calling prompt hearings and passage of the
bill.

“Too many
New Yorkers are working hard but struggling to get by,” Mark-Viverito said.
“The City Council must ensure that tax dollars don’t fuel the cycle that keeps
working families in poverty. This legislation seeks to tie city subsidies to
good, quality jobs that will help New
York City’s families move into the middle class.”

The bill
would ensure that such jobs, created with the help of city tax dollars, provide
the same wages and benefits as other building service jobs in New York, according to 32BJ.

In Jamaica alone,
hundreds of jobs would be affected if the bill passes, according to the union.