The Riverdale Press
Rev. Douglas Cunningham
I would like to respond to the letter of Mr. Lombino of the New York City Economic Development Corporation regarding the proposed development of the Kingsbridge Armory (Riverdale Press, Feb. 4).
On the one hand, he argues that “the Kingsbridge project could not have been financed and built with the (living) wage requirements sought by” Northwest Bronx community groups. On the other hand, he states that the Armory project would have provided a living wage to more than 1,700 out of the 2,200 jobs even without any living-wage requirements. I am not sure that is true; but if it is, then the conflict boils down to whether or not to provide living wages for the remaining 500 jobs. To take those 500 jobs from minimum wage to a living wage would mean adding about $3.50 an hour for the 500 jobs times 30 hours a week (the average weekly hours for the retail jobs according to the plan.) So we’re talking somewhere in the neighborhood of $52,000 a week or less than $3 million a year.
Whatever the exact cost to make these 500 jobs pay a living wage, it is surely much less than the tens of millions which the city readily agreed to provide the developer in tax breaks and other subsidies. The Bloomberg administration apparently considers tens of millions for a billionaire developer to be business as usual, while a few million to provide living wage jobs for working families is unthinkable. The Northwest Bronx community has made a loud and clear statement that we are no longer willing to accept those priorities.