Co-Chairs of Women’s Caucus Stand with NY1 Anchorwomen
City Council Members Margaret S. Chin (D-Battery Park City, Chinatown) and Carlina Rivera (D-East Village, Gramercy Park) released a statement yesterday pledging their support for the five women at NY1 who came forward about age discrimination.
Roma Torre, Jeanine Ramirez, Kristen Shaughnessy, Vivian Lee and Amanda Farinacci, five anchorwomen for the news station, alleged that they had been repeatedly passed over for airtime opportunities in favor of male and younger female anchors.
“No one who has worked to make meaningful contributions in her profession should be made to feel dispensable by her employer,” said Chin and Rivera. “The consistent marginalization that these women have experienced, as well as their recent reports of retaliation by the network, is symptomatic of a broader workplace culture that devalues older women and discourages them from speaking out and seeking justice. We urge employers of every industry – from television to City Hall – to take proactive measures to ensure that all their workers have an opportunity to succeed.”
Johnson Opposes Newly Proposed HUD Rule
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen) submitted a public comment to oppose the proposed rule by the U.S. Department of Housing and Development that would restrict the use of federally-assisted housing for immigrant families.
The comment, spanning thirteen pages, argues that the rule will disproportionately harm children, people of color and people with disabilities.
“We, the Council of the City of New York, are strongly opposed to this proposed rule,” said Johnson. “It will harm our city’s residents irreparably. It will increase poverty and homelessness. It is unjust, discriminatory, and runs counter to our city’s and our country’s values.”
Espaillat Introduces New Safety Legislation
Representative Adriano Espaillat (D-Washington Heights, Sugar Hill) joined a group of other U.S. electeds to introduce the Complete Streets Act, a bill designed to promote safer and more accessible transportation routes across the country.
The act would facilitate the construction of “complete streets”, which are defined as streets that are designed to accommodate all forms of travel.
“Complete streets” are just as accessible to pedestrians, cyclists and public transit users as they are to cars and freight vehicles.
“Improving the safety of our streets for all users is vitally important throughout our neighborhoods and communities,” said Espaillat. “Efforts to improve road conditions throughout New York City have reduced overall traffic related deaths, yet pedestrian fatalities still increased by 4.7 percent from 2017 to 2018, and the recent spike in cyclist incidents show there’s still much more work to be done. Nationally, pedestrian deaths increased by more than 40 percent over the past year in spite of widespread ‘Vision Zero’ efforts, and cyclist deaths are up a whopping 25 percent of the past decade. As more and more people seek alternative forms of transportation, we must make sure our roads are designed for everyone to use them safely. I’m proud to join my colleagues to introduce the Complete Streets Act of 2019 because we each have a stake in keeping our streets safe for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers by taking measures to help save lives.”
