UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE FUND RUNNING LOW IN NEW YORK
LEGISLATION WOULD REINSTATE COMMUTER TAX
REDISTRICTING NEW YORK
NEW YORK CITY UNIONS UNITE FOR LIVING WAGE
DEBATE CONTINUES ON MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AS CARRY-ON

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE FUND RUNNING LOW IN NEW YORK

The New York State Department of Labor has asked the federal Department of Labor for a grant of $266 million to cover the unemployment benefits of the 103,641 people that it says have been displaced so far by the World Trade Center disaster. The unemployment insurance fund is currently $200 million down from its reserves of $1.2 billion a year ago.

The insurance fund is paid for by taxes on employers, which will rise this year from $35 to $42 an employee per year. The amount that companies pay varies widely, depending partly on how often they lay off workers.

“Unemployment Insurance benefits are running out for those workers [affected by the World Trade Center disaster], while many have gone without health care coverage for themselves and their families for more than four months,” said New York State AFL-CIO President Denis M. Hughes.

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LEGISLATION WOULD REINSTATE COMMUTER TAX

Assemblymember Scott Stringer has introduced legislation in the New York State Assembly to reinstate the commuter tax, and New York City Council Speaker Gifford Miller and Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum are also lobbying for its reinstitution. Since the tax was repealed in 1999 the city’s economy has plummeted. Prior to repeal of the commuter tax, 800,000 suburban New Yorkers and out-of-staters who worked in the city were taxed at a rate of 0.45 percent, generating $360 million annually for New York City.

Stringer’s legislation calls for a 0.45 percent tax on all non-residents who work in New York City, to take effect for the 2002 tax year. He notes that other municipalities levy much higher taxes on commuters, including Los Angeles at .8 percent, Newark at 1 percent, San Francisco at 1.5 percent, Cleveland at 2 percent, and Philadelphia at 4.3 percent.

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REDISTRICTING NEW YORK

The New York State Assembly has proposed a new redistricting map that will add three New York City Assembly seats. The State Senate is also expected to propose an additional city seat, allowing larger city influence in the next Legislature. The city is gaining seats because the 2000 census showed that most of the population growth the state experienced during the 1990s occurred downstate. Two of the new Assembly seats and the additional Senate seat are proposed for Queens, and the third Assembly seat would be in the Bronx.

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NEW YORK CITY UNIONS UNITE FOR LIVING WAGE

Over the last year, the New York City Central Labor Council has united the city’s labor movement behind a living wage bill that will shortly be introduced into the New York City Council. It would set minimum pay standards for thousands of low-wage service workers who provide subsidized services in New York City. These include 50,000 home healthcare attendants, 9,000 day care and Head Start workers, building service workers, food service and retail employees.

The living wage minimum standards will start at $8.75 per hour for fiscal year 2003 for employees who are covered by a health plan, and $10.25 per hour for workers without such coverage. The living wage would increase in increments over the next three years, to $11.50 per hour for employees without health benefits in fiscal year 2006.

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DEBATE CONTINUES ON MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AS CARRY-ON

Musicians’ ability to bring their instruments aboard airplanes as carry-on luggage is still being lobbied for on the federal level. The AFM and the Coalition in Support of Musical Instruments as Carry On Baggage submitted suggestions to the FAA Rulemaking division just before the holiday season, urging that the process be expedited. The AFM is lobbying members of Congress to write Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta in support of musical instruments as carry-on. Please contact 802’s Political Action Department if you would like to write a letter to Congress.

The AFM has collected tips for traveling safely with musical instruments that can be accessed on their web site (www.afm.org). These include: know your airline’s policy, since each airline may adopt unique restrictions; request a seat assignment allowing more time to stow an instrument; notify reservation agents of oversized items; remove all extraneous items from the case; limit the number of carry-on items and arrive at the gate early.

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