Workers' World Today - Issue 38

BY LINDA NWOKE EXCLUSIVE TO WWT

Numerous individuals in their 60s and 70s are still actively engaged in their careers. And some want to stay longer within the workforce. Research suggests that these seniors, who prefer to continue working, are more engaged, enthusiastic, con nected to the organization, and are less likely to quit. All these factors make them attractive and a priced staff member to have in the workplace, as data shows that, in some cases, their age corresponds with work place wisdom.

Other benefits of having an

older age-friendly organiza tion include their ability to provide more institutional knowledge and possess more productive work habits. They also reportedly display lower stress levels on the job and bet ter emotional intelligence,

which enables them to get along better with their coworkers. Their maturity also makes them more cautious and less likely to flaunt safety rules and regulations on the job.

Scientific evidence also shows that while mental strength declines after age 30,

BY CLAUDIA IRIZARRY APONTE, THE CITY

Last week, the city Department of Consumer and Worker Protection proposed a minimum pay rate for the city’s app-based delivery workers that would boost their hourly wages, in cluding operating costs, to $17.87, increasing to $23.82 by April 1, 2025.

BY STEVEN HUBBARD

As Thanksgiving approaches, many cooks are busy planning their holi day meals. However, this year’s Thanksgiving meals will likely be more ex

Supports Workers’ World Today

Recently, I was in Al bany fighting and seeking support of A1261/S1947, legislation that will create a clear def inition of public work and level the playing field for New York’s contractors.

District Council 9 Painters and Allied Trades Union (DC9), the union for painters, prides itself on being a strong advocate for workers’ rights and safety. We are excited about this new publica tion, Workers’ World Today, which covers the issues of relevance and concern for all workers. We are encouraged that all workers: blue and white collar will have a voice and platform.

Congratulations on your inaugural issue. We wish much success to the lead ers and team of Workers’ World Today and pledge our support.p

Davon Lomax Political Director, DC9

New York's Labor Force Decreased Sharply During the Pandemic and Remains Below Pre-Pandemic Peak

New York’s labor force is one of the nation’s largest, but it de creased by 1% between 2011 and 2021 while the rest of the nation increased by 5.1%, ac cording to a report released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. A re bound took place in the latter half of the last decade before dropping significantly with the onset of the COVID-19 pan demic. New York continued to lose workers in 2021 when the rest of the nation began to re cover. Even as the workforce began growing in 2022, it is still 400,000 workers below the state’s December 2019 peak.

DiNapoli’s report found the long-term decline was due, in part, to population changes and a relatively lower share of workers participating in the workforce. New York’s 10-year average participation rate was 40th in the nation. In 2021, New York’s participation rate was 59%, almost 3 percentage points lower than the rest of the nation.

“New York’s labor force is the backbone of our state’s economy, and its strength has been its diversity, high levels of education and unioniza tion,” DiNapoli said. “But my report shows troubling longterm trends were exacerbated by the pandemic and may be impeding New York’s recov ery. Challenges may lie ahead that could negatively affect economic growth and state and local tax collections. Poli cymakers must give attention to policies that foster labor par ticipation and encourage workforce development.”

DiNapoli’s report also found: •Only three of the state’s 10 re gional labor markets (Long Is land, New York City, and the Hudson Valley) were larger in 2021 than they were in 2011, with the rest of the regions los ing workers, including double digit declines in the Southern Tier (-12.6%) and the North Country (-10.2%).

•New York was one of the first states impacted by COVID-19 and had a pandemic recession that lasted longer than the rest of the U.S. Its unemployment rate was 9.9% in 2020, nearly two percentage points higher than the rest of the nation.

•By 2021, the state’s 6.9% un employment rate was the na tion’s third highest, led by high unemployment in New York City. The state also had a greater share of underem ployed workers (5.3%) than the rest of the nation (4.2%). Underemployed workers in clude underutilized, margin ally attached and discouraged workers. Underutilized work

ers are employed part-time but want full-time work and con stituted a larger share of the workforce in New York (3.8%) compared to the rest of the na tion (3%) in 2021.

•In 2019, New York’s unem ployment rate for people with disabilities was at its lowest in over 10 years, but grew in 2020 and remained elevated in 2021, at a rate almost twice that of people without a disability. Labor force participation for this group was 40% in 2020, trailing that for the state as a whole.

•Labor force participation rates were highest for Hispan ics, at just over 61% on average over the 10-year period. Partic ipation rates were lowest for Black workers and decreased from 60.3% in 2014 to a low of 55% in 2020 before rebounding in 2021.

•New York’s workforce is more highly educated than the nation, with 50.6% of those 25 and older having at least a

TEAM

Publisher

Workers’ World Today, Inc

Editor-in-Chief Pearl Phillip

Contributing Writers

Linda Nwoke

Victoria Falk

Travis Morales

Mary Campbell Janet Howard

Shaquille Baird Chris Tobias Erin Telesford

Legal Advisor

Brian Figeroux, Esq. Telephone 1-866-435-3286 Email info@workersworldtoday.com Visit us at www.workersworldtoday.com

bachelor’s degree compared to 43.3% nationwide.

•In New York, 22.2% of em ployed workers were members of unions in 2021, second high est in the nation. Union mem bers represented 10.3% of all employed workers nationwide in 2021, down from 11.8% in 2011.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Sta tistics defines the labor force as the portion of the working age population, 16 and over, that is either employed or officially considered unemployed –those who are not employed but have actively looked for work in the previous fourweek period. In 2021, there were over 9.4 million New Yorkers in the work force, making up 5.8% of the national labor force and putting the state fourth in the U.S. behind California, Texas, and Florida.p

Read the report: New York’s Labor Force: Assessing 10-Year Trends and Pandemic Setbacks at www.workersworldtoday.com

The Power of New American Voters: Millions of Newly Naturalized Citizens Flexed Their Electoral Muscle at the Polls

The 2022 midterm elec tions saw a historic turnout by voters. A critical part of this was newly naturalized citizens or “New American Voters,” an emerg ing voting bloc that has grown by 5.19 million since 2016, in cluding more than 1.5 million since 2020. Recognizing this group’s growth and diversity, the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) and SEIU, along with NPNA member organizations and national partners, worked to mobilize newly naturalized citizens to increase voter reg istration efforts and turnout rates in states where they re side in large numbers through the New American Voters 2022 campaign. Early exit polling data suggests that Latino and Asian Americans, many of whom are presum ably naturalized citizens or

first and second-generation immigrants, were influential voting groups this year.

New American voters are a multi-racial, multi-genera tional, slightly majority women group of voters and almost 90 percent of newly naturalized citizens are origi nally from the Americas, Asia, and Africa. The number of newly naturalized citizens is larger than the margins of vic tory for the 2020 presidential election in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylva nia, and Wisconsin, as out lined in NPNA’s July 2022 report, and will almost cer tainly outnumber the margin of victory in the 2022 midterm races that are still being counted and that will deter mine who controls the United States Senate. With approxi mately 9.2 million lawful per manent residents potentially

eligible to naturalize, New American Voters are expected to continue to be a growing electoral force in American politics. In a testament to the electoral power of New Amer icans, a record number of South Asian Americans regis tered historic wins in state senate and assembly races, as well as candidates of color with immigrant heritage. While final votes are tallied in Arizona and Nevada, and the country awaits the run-off results from Georgia, we can extrapolate that New Ameri can Voters will play a pivotal role in the outcome of these races. New American Voters from Latin America are the largest share of the newly nat uralized population in Ari zona (55%) and Nevada (47%), and second largest in Georgia (36%) and Pennsylvania (27%), and early exit polling

from America’s Voice (AV) provides context on some of the issues on their minds at the ballot box. The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) also conducted exit polling on Asian Americans, which can provide some context for the top issues for Asian new American voters, the largest share of the New American Voter population in Pennsyl vania (45%) and Georgia (39%), and second largest in Nevada (38%) and Arizona (29%).

“To stay politically relevant, elected officials across the po litical spectrum must engage and address the issues facing New American Voters, which will be an increasingly impor tant electoral constituency. New American Voters went to the polls with the same issues in the mind of all voters, infla

tion, healthcare, and school safety were top of mind,” said Nicole Melaku, executive di rector of NPNA. “Leading into the 2024 electoral cycle, we will continue our push with state, municipal, and local partners in creating welcoming commu nities for immigrants and refugees to increase naturaliza tion rates, and double down on efforts along with NPNA’s 60 member organizations in 40 states and national partners to ensure these new American cit izens register to vote and be come civically engaged in the political process.”

“Ensuring eligible immigrants can continue to become citi zens and make their voices heard at the ballot box is an es sential strategy to protecting and expanding our democ racy,” said Diego IniguezLopez, Associate Director of Policy and Campaigns. p

Pregnancy Is a Journey. You Don’t Have to Walk It Alone

BROOKLYN, NY: Brook

lyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso on November 16, launched a mul timedia, multicultural mater nal health public education campaign to connect Brook lynites with information and resources for healthier preg nancies. The campaign in cludes English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole ads at select Brooklyn bus stops, urban panels at subway stations, and digital ads on Facebook, Insta gram, and YouTube that lead people to an online resource guide. The ads at bus shelters and subway stations can be found in the primarily Black, Brown, Caribbean, and Latino communities where the high est rates of maternal mortality and morbidity have been re ported, including Bed-Stuy, Brownsville, Bushwick, Canar sie, Crown Heights, East Flat bush, East New York, Flatbush, and Williamsburg.

Entirely guided by the Bor ough President’s Maternal Health Taskforce, the cam paign is his latest in a string of maternal health announce ments aimed at making Brook lyn the safest place in New York City to have a baby as a Black or Brown person. Onethird of pregnancy-related deaths in New York City are residents of Brooklyn, with the

ratio on average 9.4 times higher for Black mothers com pared to their white counter parts and the crisis in maternal health most acute among Hait ian women. Borough President Reynoso’s $250,000 maternal health public education cam paign was designed with this in mind.

“Every day, we’re making this borough a little bit safer

for Brooklynites dreaming of growing their families,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “To truly end the maternal mortality cri sis facing our Black and Brown mothers will take long-term and large-scale structural change – like our upcoming renovations to the maternal healthcare facilities at our pub lic hospitals – but in the mean time, there are steps we can take right now to empower our expecting parents through their pregnancy journey. I’m so grateful to my Maternal Health Taskforce for their in credible expertise as we take yet another step toward saving lives and making Brooklyn the safest place for someone to have a baby.”

“It's far past time that we do right by every parent and child, no matter the color of their skin or the language they speak,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “The num

bers are clear: Black women are nine times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than white women in New York City. Borough Pres ident Reynoso has relentlessly fought these maternal health disparities and is a tireless partner working to make New York City the safest place to start a family. Today's an nouncement is a gamechanger as we address this crisis and ensures expecting families have the tools, infor mation, and support they need for a healthy pregnancy."

The campaign’s resource guide, found at www.brook lyn-usa.org/healthypregnancy and translated into multiple languages, approaches preg nancy through five pillars aimed at empowering individ uals to advocate for more sup portive care before, during, and after pregnancy that has the ability to improve maternal health outcomes. p

BBP Antonio Reynoso speaking at the launch with other elected officials and members of the Maternal Task Force. Photo courtesy: BBP’s Office.

Safety & Health for an Aging Workforce/ continued from page 1

knowledge and expertise, es sential requirements for job performance, can increase be yond the age of 80. Therefore, to succeed in any job, personal drive, motivation, and a curi ous mind are essential traits for learning new skills and things. These traits have been established and do not have an age limit.

In this era of wokeness, it is important to have older em ployees who incidentally bring the cognitive diversity needed in any workplace while con tributing to increasing team output. Therefore, workplaces, often out of necessity, adapt to older workers because it is ille gal to discriminate based on several factors, including age or disability.

Common Health Risks Faced by Older Workers in the Workplace

While there are rules to protect the senior-aged worker on the job, the impact of aging must be recognized and managed with thoughtfulness. It should

be accepted as a natural phe nomenon with various health conditions and situations.

Aging naturally manifests with physical changes such as muscle and joint movement stiffness, respiratory and heart diseases, difficulty maintaining good posture, and regulating balance. Some individuals ex perience irregular sleep pat terns, poor hearing, and impaired vision.

Sometimes, it is normal to ex perience chronic health condi tions and on-the-job injuries caused by aging. Thus, most workplaces are expected to

have appropriate supporting programs and policies as part of their organizational processes. The Centers for Dis ease Control (CDC) encour ages these measures as they can help workers live produc tively and longer in relatively good health.

Chronic Conditions and Aging

Experts have observed that two common health conditions affect older workers aged 55 years and above: hypertension and arthritis. They discovered that many workers often man

age one or the other, while in some instances, it can be both chronic conditions without undue financial burden.

Interestingly, the CDC report reveals that younger workers (19-34 years) have a signifi cantly higher medical costs than older workers (65-74 years). For the latter group, managing diabetes appears to be the costliest chronic health condition to drive.

Safety and Aging Regarding safety on the job, findings reveal that older workers experience fewer workplace injuries than their younger colleagues. This out come can be attributed to ac knowledging their physical limitations, past job-related safety training, and other workplace accommodations over the years.

However, when they experi ence accidents, the effect is complicated, with a lasting im pact such as time off for a pro tracted healing process, which can be pretty stressful for both individuals and the organiza tion. There is a loss of human resources, among other con

siderations related to human resources.

In some cases, the risk of workers 65 and older dying while working is higher than younger-aged workers. Em ployers must put in place good working conditions to protect workers and consider creating preventative programs to build or maintain employees' health throughout their work ing life.

Simple Strategies for an AgeFriendly Workplace

Despite the seemingly extra care needed for making a workplace age-friendly for older workers, most effective workplace solutions have been adjudged simple and inexpen sive. Instead, most solutions are deemed highly beneficial when workers are consulted for their views, with evidence of commitment towards imple mentation and unwavering management support.

Thus, to create a safe, healthy, and older-age-friendly work place, employers should con sider the following suggestions:

continued on page 7

Workers’ Matters

Safety & Health for an Aging Workforce/ continued

from page 6

•Design ergonomics-friendly work environments – intro duce the right tools, right seat ing equipment, properly sized workstations, and other con siderations to promote work ers' good health.

•Practice work flexibility (like work from home, hybrid op tion). Employers should per mit flexible work arrangements, as many work ers prefer jobs with a high level of flexibility over additional benefits. These employees cherish workplaces where they can contribute to designing their work schedule, location, tasks, and conditions.

•Promote pacing self on the job, break repetitive tasks, and encourage self-directed rest breaks.

•Match employees' tasks to abilities.

•Make aging workforce man agement skills training manda tory for management and leadership roles to build orga nizational culture.

•Irrespective of age, pro longed sedentary work is

harmful. Put in place opportu nities for onsite physical activ ity opportunities or connections to low-cost com munity options. Design work stations that sit or stand and encourage walking around to promote blood circulation.

•Develop teams and team work strategies to resolve aging-associated problemsolving

•Introduce healthy promo tions and lifestyle measures, like healthy meal options, physical activity, coaching, on site medical care, screenings, and other therapeutic meas

ures. Accept medical self-care in the workplace and time off for health visits and reasons.

•Invest in training and build ing worker skills at all age lev els while supporting older employees to adapt to new technologies.

•Include reasonable accom modations, safe and paced re turn-to-work process post-injury or illness.

•Manage hazards such as noise, slip/trip hazards, and physical threats, which are most times the cause of chal lenge to an aging workforce.

Strategies to Help Older and Younger Workers Stay Safe and Healthy at Work

There are numerous ways em ployers can protect their older workers, primarily by prevent ing health and safety issues within the organization. How ever, not all employers are committed to the idea. Instead, they become discriminatory and create a hostile working environment without the right policies.

The proactive employer knows that an employee-cen tered approach, combined

with workplace designs that meet the team's physiological demands and a flexible work schedule, benefits everyone despite age, race, or other de mographics.

Ways Workers Can Protect Themselves

Older workers must ensure they are safe and remain healthy in their workplace. It is essential to look out for things that can harm one's general well-being and know your rights in the workplace.

When in doubt, seek clarifi cation from appropriate chan nels from human resources. As an employee, ensure that you follow safe work practices and include them in the yearly per formance assessment by set ting safety goals and holding everyone accountable for their delivery.

Also, ensure that other work ers or the employer must be notified when any default can harm you or other employees. Finally, provide an established system for reporting unsafe environments that can result in injuries, hazards, illnesses, and accidents.p

Research suggests that these seniors, who prefer to continue working, are more engaged, enthusiastic, connected to the organization, and are less likely to quit.

NYC Comptroller Outlines Framework for Comprehensive Property Tax Reform

NEW YORK, NY: At a City Council Finance Committee hearing on property tax reform Tuesday, November 15, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander will present a framework for ad dressing inequities in NYC’s convoluted property tax sys tem. Lander argues this is a critical moment of opportunity for comprehensive reform to link long overdue relief for overtaxed homeowners with a better way of taxing multifam ily development in the wake of the expiration of the 421-a property tax break for new de velopment.

Building on the NYC Advi sory Commission on Property Tax Reform’s 2021 recommen dations, Lander proposes changes to address an opaque system with gaping inequities between homeowners in dif ferent neighborhoods and building types, while includ

ing a phase-in and protections for potentially vulnerable homeowners in areas where rates would rise over time.

The Comptroller’s frame work would also incentivize new rental housing production by reducing their base tax rate approximately 30% to be on par with condos, and tie tax breaks to the actual cost and af fordability of buildings.

In place of the widely-

panned “130% AMI” program under 421-a that built subsi dized housing unaffordable to the vast majority of residents in those neighborhoods, Lander proposes a new, 21st century version of the Mitchell-Lama program to create permanently affordable, cooperative home ownership for tens of thou sands of working New Yorkers.

“New York’s opaque and in

equitable property tax system is hurting working families across our city, while inhibit ing the housing development our city needs amidst a hous ing crisis,” said Comptroller Brad Lander. “We have a unique moment this year to solve several problems at once, with structural changes to the tax system to bring fairness and common sense to our city’s largest revenue stream. If we get it right, we can address the unfair burden of high property taxes in the outer bor oughs and create new afford able homeownership and rental opportunities that max imize public dollars to bring down costs for New Yorkers.”

Promoting Fairness Among Homeowners

In December 2021, the New York City Advisory Commis sion on Property Tax reform released a set of recommenda

tions, following eight in-per son public hearings during 2018-2019 and five remote pub lic hearings during 2021. Those hearings focused on three core problems with the current tax structure:

1-3 family homes, co-ops and condos are not subject to the same rules for valuation. Large rentals are taxed at approxi mately double the rate of condo and co-ops.

The system is generally opaque and difficult to under stand. Variation in assessment ratios by property type con fuses owners and makes the system less transparent.

The differences in effective tax rates across neighborhoods is too wide. Outer-borough homeowners pay far higher rates than upper- and middleclass Manhattan and brown stone Brooklyn. p

Lander proposes bringing together long overdue reform for overtaxed homeowners with changes to multifamily taxation in the wake of the expiration of 421-a.

Framework would bring fairness and transparency, incentivize new rental Housing production, tie tax breaks to actual affordability...

NYC Comptroller Brad Lander

Photo: NYC Comptroller’s Office

Buying a Home This Autumn? 4 Unconventional Ways to Save up for Your Down Payment

Autumn is a popular time for new home buyers to start looking for their first house or condo. But with that down payment looming, everybody could use a bit of help saving up to make that bulk payment a little less intimidating.

There are plenty of uncon ventional ways to save up that may seem small, but will quickly add up and put a dent into that down payment.

Create a High Interest Sav ings Account

Talk to the bank about creat ing a secondary savings ac count with a higher interest rate. These super savings ac counts usually come with the caveat that no money can be removed for a designated pe riod. Using this account for the down payment works in everybody's favor because it

guarantees those extra dollars cannot be used for any other purpose.

Discard One Guilty Pleasure

Enjoy Starbucks coffee? Grab a pint every happy hour? Choose one vice and put the amount that would be spent

on it into a jar. Most people will be surprised on how much money they spend each month on one guilty pleasure that can easily be cut out of their life. Every perk that's cut will increase the amount by a decent margin.

Put Away Any Bonus Money

Holiday bonuses from work, tax refunds, birthday or Christ mas presents, income from side gigs, any and all extra dol lars that come in from any source outside of the main paycheck should be consid ered 'down payment dollars.' Sure, it's tempting to use that nice bonus or tax refund on a weekend trip or a night out, but all extra income should be saved away for that initial down payment.

Bring on the Roommates

People who already own a home and are looking to relo cate can take this unconven tional approach. Decent housing is hard to find so any body with an extra room can rent it out and put that money towards the new house. Hav ing a roommate can be a pain, but it's for a limited time and

can add up quickly. While saving for a down payment can be stressful, you don't have to go through the process alone. Your local real estate professional will be able to guide you and provide some helpful tips for how to make that down payment without breaking the bank. These men and women have seen countless couples go through the same thing and their experience can make a world of difference.

Guidance

There’s little doubt that home ownership remains a strong asset for increasing personal wealth. If you are considering a purchase, speak with a real estate professional at Equity Smart Realty Inc. We would be happy to offer our guidance and expertise. Call us at 888670-6791.p

Minorities continue to be the target of the predatory practices by real estate and mortgage brokers and the man who comes knocking on your door with a bag of cash. To save your home, call us now for a consultation at 855-768-8845.

Proposed Minimum Pay Standards/

Many workers who spoke to THE CITY cheered the pro posal, which would go into ef fect on Jan. 1, 2023 pending a public feedback period that concludes on Dec. 16.

“We had no idea what we were getting into. We went from being seen, as one of my compañeros said, as insects or misfits to, at this point, achiev ing something much bigger,” said Sergio Ajche, a leader of the labor group Los Deliveris tas Unidos, in an interview Sat urday.

“These minimum pay stan dards, I would say, are going to drastically change the deliv ery industry in New York City. And that’s thanks to the move ment we’ve built in fighting for the more than 65,000 delivery workers here,” Ajche said. “To me, that’s huge.”

But not everyone’s happy: On Monday, a handful of de livery workers and members of the labor group, all of whom toil on mopeds, gathered at City Hall to ask the city to “ad just” its proposal by an addi tional $5, claiming its estimate of their operating costs is too low.

Once the $23.82 hourly rate is fully implemented by 2025, it will include $2.26 hourly for operating expenses; workers

requested the additional $5 for expense purposes, which would bring the rate to $28.82.

“We are asking the city to make a $5 adjustment, to go that extra mile to ensure we get to a living wage,” said Astoria delivery worker Antonio Solís, who uses a moped for work, outside of City Hall on Mon day. “The equipment, insur ance costs, gas, maintenance — that all adds up.”

Hildalyn Colón Hernández, the policy director of the Workers Justice Project, which represents the Deliveristas, said the $5 proposal was not all-or-nothing.

“We are not rejecting the city’s proposal. We’re simply asking for an adjustment — just like with any proposal, you have the opportunity to counter it,” Colón Hernández said Mon day.

Gas, Insurance, Tune-ups

Because the workers are con sidered independent contrac tors and not employees, delivery companies are not re quired to pay them a mini mum wage. The city’s proposal, similar to the regula tions existing for Uber and Lyft drivers, seeks to force the com panies to pay workers a regu lar hourly wage.

The City Department of Con sumer and Worker Protection estimates delivery workers

currently earn as little as $4 an hour before tips.

The agency’s proposal fol lows new protections that went into effect in January of this year: Most of the city’s restaurants now must let deliv ery workers picking up orders use the bathroom, and apps must furnish brand-identified insulated bags to workers at no cost and provide transparency around wages and tips.

“This is an amazing achieve ment,” delivery worker Ernesta Galvez said in an inter view. “Where it was unthink able that a delivery worker could have something resem bling a minimum wage it’s now a reality. This is huge.”

The request for an additional $5 an hour is mostly led by workers who toil by moped, who say the city’s operational

cost estimates are too low to cover the cost of gas, registra tion, insurance and the actual vehicle, which can cost thou sands of dollars.

“We encourage all New York ers to submit comments ahead of the public hearing on De cember 16th,” said DCWP spokesperson Michael Lanza.

“All feedback will be consid ered before the final rule goes into effect.”

Willy Medina, who like other workers, prefers a moped to an e-bike so that he doesn’t have to worry about charging the batteries, said his monthly ex penses are much higher than those of workers who toil by ebike or bike. He spends $35 per month for insurance, and $120 per month for gas, and takes his $3,800 moped for regular tune-ups, he said.

“Using a moped is like hav ing a car,” Medina said in Spanish. “So we’re a little con cerned this proposal won’t meet our needs.”

Workers who spoke with THE CITY said they intended to submit the $5 proposal as part of the public review process. Even those who toil by e-bike, like Ajche, say the start ing $17.87 rate falls below the minimum wage after deduct ing expenses.

Carmen de la Rosa (D-Man hattan), the Council’s labor committee chair, lauded the city’s life-changing proposed minimum pay standard.

“It’s a step in the right direc tion,” she said on Saturday. “I honestly believe that, at this point in time, to have that base pay is really going to substan tially change the lives of these workers and that they deserve this pay.”

At City Hall on Monday, she said she was in “solidarity” with the workers asking for more money.

Ajche said that a cultural change around delivery work ers, both among restaurants and customers, has been as meaningful as the city’s regula tions.

“You still have some situa tions where the restaurants give you a hard time with the bathrooms and letting you park your bike while you wait for the order to be ready. But people in general are more thoughtful now: They offer us coffee or water, or to let us sit down for a while, customers give us better tips and ask about our jobs,” he said.

“When I go out on the streets, I see other workers happy and sharing positive experiences — it makes me feel proud of how far we’ve come.”p

This story was published by on November 21, 2022 by THE CITY.

Some delivery workers argue they need an increase in expenses to offset the cost of using motorized vehicles, Nov. 21, 2022.Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY

Report: These NYC Hospitals Took in $727 Million More in Tax Breaks Than They Gave Back to Their Communities

BY AARON TOLEOS LOWN INSTITUTE

Anew report examining the finances of non profit hospitals in New York City finds that some hos pitals fall significantly short on expected community invest ments. The study by the Lown Institute, a healthcare think tank, includes 21 hospitals and finds that nine have a Fair Share deficit—meaning that the value of their community investments fails to equal the value of their federal, state, and local tax breaks. In total, the nine hospitals are $727 mil lion short of equaling the $1.2 billion in tax breaks they re ceived in 2019.

“Communities make good faith investments through these tax breaks and expect

that hospitals will hold up their end of the bargain,” said Vikas Saini, MD, president of the Lown Institute. “Our evi dence shows that’s not always the case.”

New York-Presbyterian, which had $493 million in tax breaks, had the largest Fair Share deficit of all hospitals at $359 million—nearly half of the city’s total deficit. At the other end of the list, Monte fiore Medical Center had the largest surplus at $76 million. According to the report, the total Fair Share deficit is enough to triple what the city spends on school meals annu ally, create thousands of new affordable housing units, or pay off the medical debt for every patient sued by a New York hospital over the past five

years.

“If we want hospital behavior to change, there needs to be greater transparency and ac countability,” said Dr. Saini. “New regulations are long overdue.”

Methodology

Fair Share spending is calcu lated by comparing the value of hospital tax exemptions to the amount spent on meaning ful community investment. Federal, state, and local taxes are all included in the tax ex emption valuation, as are ben

efits from tax-exempt bonds and donations. Data sources include CMS hospital cost re ports, IRS Form 990, and prop erty assessments from the NYC Department of Finance. Meaningful community in vestment includes the follow ing categories of spending from IRS Form 990 Schedule H: Financial assistance, com munity health improvement activities, contributions to community groups, commu nity building activities, and subsidized healthcare services. Only private nonprofit general hospitals with available IRS and CMS data were included in the analysis.

Support for this study was provided by the 32BJ Labor In dustry Cooperation Trust Fund.p

Coalition for Affordable Hospitals Tells Wealthy Hospitals to Pay their Fair Share

Several New York City labor unions affiliated with the Coalition for Af fordable Hospitals held a speak out and rally on Thurs day to tell NY Presbyterian and other wealthy hospitals to pay their fair share, after a new report found that the NY Pres byterian system takes over $400 million more in tax breaks than it gives back in charity and community benefits.

This is money that could go to education, transportation, community health and other public services. The Coalition for Affordable Hospitals is a coalition of labor unions, health care providers, commu nity organizations, social jus tice advocates, and government entities fighting to rein in out-of-control hospital costs that hurt hard-working New Yorkers. p

New Immigrants: Their Rights

Hiring Foreign Seasonal Workers Doesn’t Hurt American Workers, New Study Finds

BY WALTER EWING

Do fewer U.S. workers get hired when em ployers also hire tem porary seasonal labor from abroad? A new study of firms applying for H-2B visas sug gests that the answer is no.

The H-2B visa allows work ers from abroad to enter the United States to fill temporary, non-agricultural jobs that do not require a high level of for mal education. The number of new H-2B visas that can be is sued each year is capped at 66,000 and visa recipients are randomly selected through a lottery.

By analyzing hiring at firms that participate in this lottery, the new study finds that firms which hire larger numbers of H-2B workers experience in creased production with no adverse effects on the employ ment of U.S.-born workers. In some cases, the numbers of H2B workers and U.S. workers

employed by a firm increase together.

The H-2B program U.S. employers wishing to hire H-2B workers must first ob tain a temporary labor certifi cation from the Department of Labor (DOL). For an employer to receive certification, DOL must determine that: (1.) not enough qualified U.S.-born workers are available to fill the temporary jobs for which the employer wants to hire H-2B workers; and (2.) the employ ment of H-2B workers will not adversely affect the wages or working conditions of U.S.born workers performing sim ilar jobs.

In recent years, the demand for H-2B workers has far ex ceeded the annual cap of 66,000, and demand is often so high that DOL and DHS exer cise their authority to add ad ditional H-2B visas to the pool throughout the year. As a re sult, DOL conducts a lottery to

determine which of the firms that applied for temporary labor certification will actually receive certification.

Employers who receive the temporary labor certification must then apply to U.S. Citi zenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for permis sion to employ H-2B workers. Once USCIS approves the pe tition, foreign workers can apply for an H-2B visa from a U.S. embassy or consulate in their home country. Some for eign workers may not need a visa if they are already in the United States and received USCIS approval for an exten sion of their current H-2B sta tus or a change from a

different status to H-2B status. The longest a foreign worker in H-2B status can remain in the United States is three years. The worker then must remain outside of the United States for three months before they can be readmitted in H2B status. The spouse and un married children under the age of 21 may accompany an H-2B visa recipient to the United States, but they are not allowed to work while they are here.

New study finds no decrease in employment of U.S.-born workers

The new study surveyed firms that participated in DOL’s

2021 lottery for processing of H-2B temporary labor certifi cations and compared those that won with those that lost.

Firms that were winners of the lottery—and were there fore able to hire more H-2B workers—experienced an in crease in revenue. The win ning firms also experienced either a slight increase in the employment of U.S.-born workers or no change at all. There was no evidence that hiring more H-2B workers re sulted in a decline in employ ment for U.S.-born workers.

The study also found that em ployers which lost the H-2B lottery did not tend to hire more U.S. workers. As a result of losing the lottery, those firms generally hired fewer workers overall and suffered from lower revenue than those firms which were able to hire more foreign workers. The economists carrying out the study suggest that this result

continued on page 13

Immigrant Crop Workers/ continued from page 1 pensive as food prices soar. This is partly due to America’s ongoing labor shortage in agri culture, especially for fruit and vegetable crop production, where 57.0% of workers are immigrants.

Farm workers are fundamen tal to America’s critical food infrastructure. However, as labor shortage in the food pro duction industry persists, our supply of fresh fruits and veg etables relies increasingly on imported produce. In 2021, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that the value of imported fruits and vegetables reached record levels. Since 2000, the volume of fruit and vegetable imports has doubled and the inflation-adjusted value of those imports more than tripled.

While labor costs are about 10% of the total farm income in most farming industries in the United States, they are 27.7% of total farm income on U.S. fruit farms and 23.1% on veg etable farms. This makes these farms particularly sensitive to rising labor costs.

From 2005 to 2020, wages of crop workers grew at a rate of 66%. This was faster than the wage growth for high school graduates (33%) and college graduates (40%), according to data from the USDA wage sur vey and U.S. Census Current Population Survey.

One reason for the current labor shortage in crop produc tion is the lack of interest in agricultural work from younger workers. With fewer of them entering the industry, the agricultural workforce is getting older. Between 2006 and 2019, the average age of U.S.-born agricultural workers rose from 35.9 to 36.7 years old, while immigrant crop workers aged even faster, from 35.7 to 41.6 years old, according to

Old & New Immigrants: Their Rights

data from the USDA Farm Labor report.

An older crop production work force is also more vulnerable to health complica tions like heat stress caused by se vere heat events due to climate change. A 2008 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Pre vention found that farm workers were 20 times more likely to die from heat stress-related compli cations than other workers in the United States. Severe heat events are placing the lives and health of our essential crop workers at risk, creating dan gerous working conditions. They also leave less time for workers to harvest most fruits and vegeta bles, putting our food production system under se vere pressure. More needs to be done to monitor the working conditions of our crop production workers and protect them from heat-related illnesses and deaths.

The impact of the labor shortage in the crop pro duction industry is far-reaching, even beyond the Thanksgiving holidays. Since immigrant workers are essential to America’s food supply, implement ing immigration policy changes like increasing the number of H-2A temporary visas for foreign-born farm workers and streamlining the approval process would help alleviate some of the labor shortages in the industry and make the food on our dinner tables more affordable.p

Hiring Foreign Seasonal Workers/ continued from page 12

occurs because there are “few substi tutes” in rural areas for the labor carried out by individuals receiving H-2B visas, lending support to the need for the program.

Immigration and employment

The study supports the conclusion of many economists that immigration ex pands the job market for U.S.-born work ers.

This occurs in several ways. First, im migrant workers and U.S.-born workers tend to have different skill sets, so they complement each other rather than com peting for the same jobs. Second, immi grant workers spend most of their wages in the U.S. economy, which creates new jobs by increasing consumer demand. Third, U.S. businesses respond to the presence of immigrant workers and con sumers by expanding their operations within the United States rather than abroad. And fourth, immigrants expand the U.S. labor market when they create new businesses.

The new study and the findings of many other economists undermine the common myth that every job filled by an immigrant worker is one less job avail able to a U.S.-born worker. In fact, immi gration increases job opportunities for the majority of U.S.-born workers.p

Here’s What Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Win Could Mean for New York Schools

BY REEMA AMIN, CHALKBEAT

Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, who led the state as students returned to schools full time after COVID-related clo sures, won New York’s governor’s race on Tuesday, according to the As sociated Press.

In a race that grew tighter in recent weeks, Hochul was declared the win ner after getting 53% of the vote against Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin, of Long Island, according to prelimi nary state Board of Elections results with 84% of election districts report ing. She is the first female elected gov ernor in the state.

Hochul, who spent nearly a decade as the state’s lieutenant governor, took New York’s top office 14 months ago following former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s stunning resignation amid a sexual harassment scandal. In her first year in office, she oversaw significant developments in education, including boosting funding for schools and signing a bill that aims to limit class sizes in New York City schools.

Hochul did not make education pol icy a centerpiece of her campaign. Still, she won endorsements and big campaign contributions from New York’s powerful teachers unions — one of which hadn’t endorsed a can didate in 16 years. Educators’ unions felt like they had an ally in office after she embraced policies they pushed, including the class size bill and initia

tives to tackle teacher shortages.

At the same time, she also won some support from pro-charter school po litical groups, and in a debate last month, she said she supported lifting the state’s cap on how many charter schools can open. Here’s how Hochul’s continued governorship could impact New York City’s schools:

School funding, teacher shortages and college

Under Cuomo, the state increased school funding, but it wasn’t enough for many school advocates. They crit icized the former governor for failing to fully fund the state’s Foundation Aid formula, which is designed to send more money to school districts with higher shares of students with high needs, such as those living in poverty.

When Hochul assumed office, she settled a 2014 lawsuit by committing to fully fund the formula. (Despite that, funding remains a hot topic in New York City, where three-quarters of schools saw less money this fall as their enrollment was projected to drop.)

Under the plan Hochul agreed to — phasing in the boosted funding over three years — schools would receive 100% of the money they’re owed by next year. It is expected to amount to roughly $4 billion additional dollars to districts across the state.

Looking forward, some advocates

Hochul may also continue to focus on postsecondary education. She an nounced last year a goal to get twothirds of New Yorkers to graduate with a college degree by 2030. To help meet this goal, she expanded college tuition assistance to part-time stu dents in her first year in office.

To address the state’s looming teacher shortage, she expanded some alternative teacher certification pro grams. She also temporarily waived an income cap for retirees who want to return to the classroom. The situa tion could soon get dire as state teach ing programs have seen enrollment drop by more than half since 2009, and about a third of current teachers

Another round of mayoral control debates

Hochul will be in office when Mayor Eric Adams’ control over New York City schools will once again expire, re quiring another extension from state lawmakers in 2024.

As mayoral control was set to expire this year, Hochul — an ally of Adams — had called for a four-year renewal, which would have covered the mayor’s entire first term. But state law makers gave him just half of that, while tweaking the governance system to appease advocates’ calls to include more parent voices in the system.

Hochul could again call for a renewal of the system to cover the rest of Adams’ term. If state lawmakers are interested in curbing Adams’ power — or overturning the governance model altogether — it’s possible that Hochul could advocate for keeping mayoral control in place.

Would Hochul push to lift the charter cap?

Hochul did not discuss charter schools during most of the campaign, but dur ing a recent debate with Zeldin she re vealed that she supported lifting the charter school cap. As of now, 460 charter schools are allowed to operate in New York, including 290 in New York City.

It’s possible that Hochul could push for lifting the cap, something that procharter advocates have wanted for years. That would allow more such schools to open in New York City. Hochul’s campaign received at least $70,000 in donations across two procharter political action committees.

However, she didn’t openly advo cate for such a policy during her first year in office. And even if she did, the state legislature has so far not been supportive of lifting the cap l

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news organization covering public education.Reema Amin is a reporter covering New York City schools with a focus on state policy and English language learners. Article was published by THE CITY on November 9, 2022.

and policymakers are already calling for updating the formula itself, which has remained the same since its incep tion in 2007. Hochul has not yet said whether she supports overhauling the formula. Updating it could result in calls for even more money for schools.

are projected to retire in the next five years, according to data from the state teachers union.

Governor Hochul. Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com

Impact

BY JANET HOWARD

Conventional wisdom on bankruptcy is that it ruins your credit for a decade. That's far from true, however.

That belief stems from the fact that a Chapter 7 bank ruptcy remains on your credit report for exactly 10 years, which is the standard for closed accounts that did not have any negative activity. However, this is the *only* type of bankruptcy that is on your credit report for that long.

Other types of bankruptcies last for seven years, the stan dard for a closed account that had late payments.

Your credit also cannot be to tally ruined by a bankruptcy alone. It is true that a bank ruptcy is a hard hit to your score, but letting outstanding debts go to collections and ac cumulate late payments or charge-offs is just as bad if not worse.

Let's Talk Points - How Much Will A Bankruptcy Hurt?

Generally speaking, bankrupt cies disproportionately hit higher credit scores harder. A realistic expectation for a FICO score over 750 is to lose a little over 200 points just from the bankruptcy. However, credit more in the moderate-to-good range of 600 to 750 will usually only drop by about 100 to 150 points. While you can expect bankruptcy to take you out of the "excellent" credit category for at least a couple of years, your credit can still remain in a good range if you are not ex periencing other significant fi

nancial issues that drag it down.

It's also important to know that bankruptcy score deduc tions aren't uniform to the debt amount or your starting score. In general, you will come out with a higher post-bankruptcy score if the discharged debts were individually smaller and spread out rather than one or two very large accounts.

Why Does A Chapter 7 Bank ruptcy Stay On Longer?

Chapter 7 is viewed as the "last resort" bankruptcy option, if your means are too low to be eligible for the structured pay

ments of a Chapter 13 bank ruptcy (or a Chapter 11 or 12, which are basically Chapter 13 variants for specific business types). The cost of having most debts completely forgiven under Chapter 7 is the longer negative impact to your ability to borrow.

Naturally, a Chapter 13 is more favorable to your credit if you have the means to make at least partial payments on your existing debts.

Does A Bankruptcy Eliminate The Negative Credit Impact Of Discharged Accounts?

Unfortunately, it does not. If a discharged account had nega tive payment information prior to being discharged, that will continue to be a drag on your credit for the standard seven years.

Can I Rebuild My Credit While A Bankruptcy Is On My Report?

Absolutely! Having a bank

ruptcy on your credit report won't negate positive contribu tions from other accounts. A popular option for rebuild ing credit in the wake of a bankruptcy is a secured credit card. With these, you put down the amount of your credit line in the form of a se curity deposit. Since the full amount of the credit line is on hand, banks will issue these cards even to customers with low credit scores. After a year of good payment history, the security deposit is usually re turned and the card becomes a standard credit account, often with a significant limit in crease.

Of course, making timely payments on your remaining accounts will also continue to build good credit, and keeping your total debt load to no more than one-third of your avail able credit will also help to bol ster your FICO score.

Questions? Ask The Lawyer. Call 855-768-8845.p

Mayor Adams Tours Carbon Free and Healthy Schools Apprenticeship Program

Recently, Climate Jobs NY (CJNY) was excited to host New York City Mayor Eric Adams for a tour of the Local 3 Electrical Industry Training Center in Long Island City to discuss the benefits the Carbon Free and Healthy Schools (CFHS) Initiative would have for NYC. The Mayor was welcomed by CFHS steering committee affil iates Building and Construc tion Trades Council of Greater New York, NYC Central Labor Council, United Federation of Teachers, 32BJ SEIU, and DC37 AFSCME, as well as CJNY af filiates IBEW Local 3, Insula tors Local 12, NYC District Council of Carpenters, Sheet metal Workers Local 28, Painters and Allied Trades District Council 9, Steamfitters Local 638, BAC Local 7 Tile, Marble & Terrazzo, Bricklayers Local 1, Concrete Workers

DC16, Laborers Local 79, UA Plumbers Local 1, and Metallic Lathers & Reinforcing Iron workers Local 46, as well as Apprenticeship Readiness Col lective Affiliates Construction Skills, Pathways to Appren ticeship, Nontraditional Em ployment for Women, and NY Helmets to Hardhats.

Accelerating solar installa tion and completing deep en

ergy-efficiency retrofits of NYC public school buildings by 2030 could create 45,000 green jobs employing workers of every trade, and provide union career pathways for women, justice-involved NYers, and communities of color. Throughout the tour, the Mayor met with pre-appren ticeship graduates and appren tices, and affiliate members who spoke about the positive impacts being in a union has made in their lives. By invest ing in CFHS, NYC can signifi cantly reduce emissions, save millions of dollars on energy costs, create thousands of union jobs, and make schools healthier and safer learning and working environments for our students, teachers, and staff.

Learn more about the cam paign at www.carbonfree healthyschoolsnyc.org.p

Brooklyn Museum Union Holds Demonstration Outside VIP Gala

that the museum’s current proposal remains unfair and undervalues their labor after nearly a year of negotiations. As it stands right now, the mu seum’s proposal includes a one-time pay adjustment for about 40 to 50 union employ ees — less than half of the union members represented by UAW Local 2110.

Unionized workers at Brooklyn Museum, members of UAW Local 2110, rallied in the wind and rain outside the museum's main entrance on Eastern Parkway on Tuesday to call at tention to stalled contract ne gotiations. Staff members gathered outside a VIP open ing gala celebrating the institu tion’s forthcoming Thierry Mugler exhibition to inform the gala’s high-profile guests

“We wanted to make sure we were visible at a show like this," said 2110 member Owen O'Brien. "A few people have happily taken leaflets, saying that they’re supportive. And multiple people have taken and worn our union buttons into the exhibition in support. We love working at the mu seum and we love what it stands for, we just want to make sure that it’s living up to its mission that we all believe in.”p

Photo courtesy NYC Central Labor Council

Mayor Adams

Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com

Dealing With Flight Delays This Holiday Season

BY HARRY JOHNSON ETURBONEWS

With the festive season just around the cor ner, airports are an ticipating the busiest holiday period since before the pan demic. Luckily, the air travel experts have put together their top tips on what to do if your flight is delayed, as well as how to keep entertained dur ing your wait!

As delays are becoming a common concern across the world, it is more important than ever before to carefully plan your trip to the airport. Make sure to invest in travel insurance that provides cover for travel delays. Although in countries such as the UK your airline is obligated to look after you after a particular delay pe riod, most travel insurance

policies provide additional cover for travel un certainty. Additional cover usually becomes applicable if your flight is postponed by more than 12 hours due to a strike, adverse weather, or a mechanical breakdown.

Keep Expenses Receipts

Typical travel delay cover takes a fixed benefit form to help you cover the costs of expenses, such as food and drink, while you wait at the airport. Make sure that you keep any receipts of airport purchases, as you can try to claim the money back from the airline later. Airlines only pay for ‘reasonable’ expenses though, so you are unlikely to get money back for purchases such as alcohol, expensive meals, or extrava gant hotels.

Know Your Passenger Rights

If your flight is delayed you may be entitled to compensation or a refund, so take time to get clued up on your passenger rights so that you are not left out of pocket. For delayed flights departing from the UK or EU, you are pro tected by the Denied Boarding Regulation. If your flight has been delayed by more than an

established amount of time (two hours for flights less than 1500km, three hours for flights 1500km – 3500km, and four hours for flights of more than 3500km) your airline has a duty to look after you.

For flight delays outside of the EU your rights will vary and depend on the terms and condi tions of the airline, so be sure to check the terms and conditions before arriving at the airport. In the United States, airlines are not required to compensate passengers when flights are delayed or canceled.

Contact the Airline’s Customer Service

As soon as you hear of the delay with your flight, contact the airline’s customer service team. It is important to note that flight delays that are out side of the airline’s control may hinder your right to compensa tion, therefore be sure to check the circumstances before trying to claim or complain! The cus tomer service team should also be able to provide you with guidance on the immediate steps you can take to resolve your flight queries.

Don’t Panic!

Flight delays are without a doubt a stressful and frustrat ing situation, however, remain ing calm can help to prevent further suffering. Be kind to those around you, whether that be fellow passengers, or airline employees, as all involved will be feeling distressed by the sit uation at hand.

Keeping Entertained - Scour Duty-Free

Today’s modern airports are often populated with huge duty-free stores, as well as sou venir shops and designer brand favorites. With additional time to spare why not take advan tage of the duty-free offerings available or partake in some good old-fashioned window shopping. You never know, you might find the perfect lastminute outfit for your holiday!

Come Prepared

With flight delays ranging from as little as minutes, to up to 12

hours, ensure you come pre pared, packing essentials such as a spare change of clothes, snacks, beverages, phone chargers, toiletries, and enter tainment mediums. You could also consider bringing an eye mask or earplugs so that you can rest during your holdup time.

Escape with a Book

A great way to pass the time is to immerse yourself in a good book, becoming so engrossed that you forget about what’s happening around you. Whether you are a lover of cheesy summer romance nov els or prefer to indulge in crime thrillers, packing a book or Kindle is always a good idea. Or, if you don’t have your own, why not check out the books for sale at the air port?

Explore the Airport

If you can’t leave the airport because your delay isn’t going to be that long, you could spend time exploring your air port’s amenities. Although this may sound like a dull idea, airports today are being designed to provide an entire experience, with international cuisine offerings, luxury lounges, indoor gardens, spas, cinemas, and even swimming pools!

Plan Your Trip

Although it’s likely you will have already looked into the attractions on offer at your chosen travel destination, why not spend your wait period re searching the lesser-known at tractions? Spend time setting goals for your trip, asking yourself questions such as, ‘what are the top three things I want to see?’ or ‘what new foods do I want to try?’. By taking the time to research fur ther you may even come across some hidden gems to explore.p

What to Know About RSV and Other Respiratory Viruses

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), flu and COVID-19 activity are increasing in New York City. Young children, older adults and people with weakened im mune systems are particularly vulnerable to these diseases. People with symptoms of res piratory illness – including cough, congestion and other signs of a cold – should contact their health care provider to find out how and where to seek care. Getting young chil dren seen by a provider early can prevent worsening illness and potential hospitalization. In the case of an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest hospital.

The best protection against seasonal illness continues to be COVID-19 vaccination for everyone ages six months or older, updated bivalent COVID-19 boosters for people ages five-and-older, and the annual flu shot for everyone 6

months and older.

“With so many preventive measures in place over the past two and a half years due to COVID-19, we have been less exposed to many seasonal ill nesses compared to pre-pan demic,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan. “That means these viruses are circulating earlier and getting more people sick. The best protection is to get

your flu shot and bivalent COVID booster right away, and to wear a mask in crowded public indoor set tings. You should also stay home when sick to protect oth ers from getting sick. Addi tionally, we can stick to the tried-and-true disease preven tion measures, like handwash ing and avoiding contact with others, especially children, when we’re not feeling well.”

“As a parent, it can be scary to see your child get sick,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Vice President for Ambulatory Care and Population Health Ted Long, MD, MHS. “Most kids will recover from RSV on their own, but if your child has trouble breathing, fevers, or other concerning symptoms, contact your doctor or call NYC Health + Hospitals’ Vir tual ExpressCare to talk to a clinician in minutes.”

Almost all children get RSV before age 2. For most children, RSV will cause mild cold-like symptoms and can be treated at home. For infants and young children with certain underly ing health conditions who are at high risk for severe RSV in fection, such as those born pre mature or who require oxygen at home, parents should talk to their pediatrician today about a medication their baby can take to prevent RSV infections.

During this busy time for pe

diatricians, parents may want to consider telehealth appoint ments for non-emergency cases to protect their child from additional viruses and to speak to a doctor quickly. NYC Health + Hospitals’ Virtual Ex pressCare can connect a pa tient to a healthcare provider in minutes, and the service is available 24/7 in over 200 lan guages. Patients can access Virtual ExpressCare by going to expresscare.nyc or calling 631-EXP-Care (631-397-2273).

Many pharmacies and doc tors’ offices offer both flu and COVID-19 vaccines, and it is safe to get them at the same time.

To find a nearby COVID-19 and flu vaccination provider, visit vaccinefinder.nyc.gov/ or contact NYC Health + Hospi tals at 1-844-NYC-4NYC (844692-4692) to schedule an appointment with a primary care provider who can offer your child vaccines.p

No, Opposites Do Not Attract

BY MATTHEW D. JOHNSON THE CONVERSATION

Everyone seems to agree that opposites attract. Young and old people, happy and distressed couples, single folks and married part ners – all apparently buy the classic adage about love. Rela tionship experts have written books based on this assump tion. It’s even been internal ized by people who are on the hunt for a partner, with 86 per cent of those looking for love saying they’re seeking some one with opposite traits.

The problem is that what’s true of magnets is not at all true of romance. As I explain in my book, “Great Myths of Intimate Relationships: Dating, Sex, and Marriage,” people tend to be attracted to those who are similar – not opposite – to themselves.

I love how you’re just like me Whether people really find op posites more attractive has been the subject of many scien tific studies. Researchers have investigated what combination

makes for better romantic part ners – those who are similar, different, or opposite? Scien tists call these three possibili ties the homogamy hypothesis, the heterogamy hypothesis and the complementarity hy pothesis, respectively.

The clear winner is ho mogamy. Since the 1950s, so cial scientists have conducted over 240 studies to determine whether similarity in terms of attitudes, personality traits, outside interests, values and other characteristics leads to attraction. In 2013, psycholo gists Matthew Montoya and Robert Horton examined the combined results of these stud ies in what’s called a metaanalysis. They found an irrefutable association between being similar to and being in terested in the other person.

In other words, there is clear and convincing evidence that birds of a feather flock to gether. For human beings, the attractiveness of similarity is so strong that it is found across cultures.

Because similarity is associ ated with attraction, it makes sense that individuals in com mitted relationships tend to be alike in many ways. Some times this is called assortative mating, although this term is more often used to describe the ways in which people with similar levels of educational at tainment, financial means and physical appearance tend to pair up.

None of this necessarily means that opposites don’t at tract. Both the homogamy hy

pothesis and the complemen tarity hypothesis could be true. So is there scientific support that opposites might attract at least some of the time?

Filling in my weak spots with your strengths

Love stories often include peo ple finding partners who seem to have traits that they lack, like a good girl falling for a bad boy. In this way, they appear to complement one another. For example, one spouse might be outgoing and funny while

the other is shy and serious. It’s easy to see how both part ners could view the other as ideal – one partner’s strengths balancing out the other part ner’s weaknesses. In fact, one could imagine the friends and relatives of a shy person trying to set them up with an outgo ing person to draw the shy one out. The question is whether people actually seek out com plementary partners or if that just happens in the movies.

As it turns out, it’s pure fic tion. There is essentially no re search evidence that differences in personality, in terests, education, politics, up bringing, religion or other traits lead to greater attraction.

For example, in one study re searchers found that college students preferred descrip tions of mates whose written bios were similar to them selves or their ideal self over those described as comple menting themselves. Other studies have supported this finding. For example, intro verts are no more attracted to continued on page 21

extraverts than they are to any one else.

Why are we so sure opposites attract?

Despite the overwhelming ev idence, why does the myth of heterogamy endure? There are probably a few factors at work here.

First, contrasts tend to stand out. Even if the partners in a couple match on tons of char acteristics, they may end up ar guing about the ways in which they are different.

Beyond that, there’s evidence that small differences between spouses can become larger over time. In their self-help book “Reconcilable Differ ences,” psychologists Andrew Christensen, Brian Doss and Neil Jacobson describe how partners move into roles that are complementary over time.

For example, if one member of a couple is slightly more hu morous than the other, the couple may settle into a pat tern in which the slightlymore-funny spouse claims the

role of “the funny one” while the slightly-less-funny spouse slots into the role of “the seri ous one.” Scientists have demonstrated that, yes, part ners grow more complemen tary over time; while they may begin as quite alike, they find ways to differentiate them selves by degree.

In the end, people’s attraction to differences is vastly out weighed by our attraction to

similarities. People persist in thinking opposites attract –when in reality, relatively sim ilar partners just become a bit more complementary as time goes by. p

Matthew D. Johnson is a Profes sor of Psychology and Director of the Marriage and Family Studies Laboratory, Binghamton Univer sity, State University of New York

Holiday Shopping Statement from RWDSU

As the holiday shopping season gets underway and in-store shopping increases, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), issued the follow ing statement urging holiday shoppers and employers to treat retail workers with dig nity and respect amid contin ued supply-chain issues:

“As retailers start their holi day shopping sales earlier than ever this year, the stress and pressure for retail workers during the holiday season is being extended by additional weeks. At the same time, inci dents of harassment, violence and hate are continuing to rise in stores – causing workers to worry about their physical safety and mental health.

“The supply chain is still pre carious. Retail workers bear the brunt of shoppers’ frustra tion. Tempers quickly rise when customers hear that cov eted holiday items are stuck in

transit and have been backo rdered for months; and espe cially if they’ve gone to multiple stores only to go home empty handed.

“Workers are not to blame, and stores should provide se curity, safety protocols and training to handle irate shop pers this season as well as safe staffing levels to meet the longer demand period. And shoppers need to remember what this season is supposed to be all about – love, generos ity and kindness. Shoppers need to treat workers with the dignity and respect they de serve,” said Stuart Appel baum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).p

It’s likeness that makes the heart grow fonder.

Nancy Pelosi was the Key Democratic Messenger of Her Generation – Passing the Torch Will Empower Younger Leadership

BY GERALD WARBURG THE CONVERSATION

The announcement by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that she will not run for another senior post opens the door for a new gen eration of national leaders in the Democratic Party.

Pelosi confirmed she is step ping away from leadership po sitions on Nov. 17, 2022, a decision that jump-starts a process that has long been de sired by younger Democrats: generational change and with it, potentially, new ideas to take the party forward.

That shift to younger leader ship was shelved in February 2020. Then – after poor per formances by Joe Biden in early primaries – Democratic primary voters unified with as tonishing swiftness behind his candidacy. The thinking was that a veteran party establish ment official was needed to block Donald Trump and that the progressive agenda desired by some younger Democrats might pose too great an elec toral risk.

Turnover in the youth-chal lenged leadership of the Dem ocratic House and Senate caucuses has similarly been frozen since then, with all Democratic legislative leaders over 70. As a professor of pub lic policy who served as an as sistant to members of leadership in both houses of Congress, I understand why Democratic voters opted for stability in 2020. But now the coming change may be wel comed by Democrats and Re publicans alike as an opportunity to pass the torch to a new, post-baby boomer

generation with fresh ideas. Generational change may soon come on both sides of the po litical aisle.

Power as a means, not an end Pelosi’s decision is both practi cal and timely. It comes as the Republicans retake the House with a wafer-thin majority and a divided GOP caucus at war with itself. Even former Re publican speakers John Boehner and Newt Gingrich, Pelosi’s longtime critics, are ac knowledging her historic ac complishments, while noting her legacy will now include stepping away while at the top of her game.

Pelosi rose to become the most powerful woman in American history and the most effective legislator of the 21st century. She accomplished this at a time when polarization in politics meant she has endured vilification from political op ponents that has had a direct and violent impact on her fam ily.

A key to understanding the Pelosi legacy is weighing what she chose to do with her power. As I have written else where, some politicians seek power fundamentally as a means to an end. For them leadership posts offer the tools needed to improve citizens’ lives or to advance an ideol ogy. Such figures can be seen across the political divide in Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama and Gingrich. You don’t have to agree with their politics to see that they sought power pri marily as a means to change policy: They had active legisla tive agendas.

Other leaders, however, seem to seek out power as part of a

never-ending vanity project.

The history of Pelosi’s two four-year speakerships – from 2007 to 2010 and then again from 2019 to 2022 – provide ev idence that she had an action agenda. Pelosi is on record re peatedly insisting that when one gains power, one should use it – and risk losing it – to promote the national interest and protect the most vulnera ble.

Her record bears out that ap proach. In 2008 through 2010, she pushed controversial measures through the House, including the TARP economic bailout, the stimulus package, the Affordable Care Act, and the cap and trade climate bill –risking her political capital and imperiling the Democratic ma jority in the House.

Similarly in 2022, she pur sued an ambitious legislative agenda despite concerns that it might contribute to a Republi can “red wave” in the midterm elections. That wave did not materialize, but historically small Republican gains were enough to mean she would lose the speakership of the House.

Managing imperiled presidencies

The longevity of Pelosi’s

tenure is all the more remark able given the fact that she worked alongside four differ ent – and often troubled – pres idencies. She first became House speaker in 2007 under the lame duck presidency of George W. Bush.

Then she served that role under Obama just before his “shellacking” in midterm elec tions; Trump through two im peachments and an insurrection; then Biden, sad dled with bitter national divi sions. The Pelosi speakership was the one constant as four different presidents dealt with national threats.

Yet Pelosi managed to work through a deeply polarized Congress scores of bills that impacted the lives of everyday Americans. Her legislative ac complishments include her stewardship of the landmark Affordable Care Act. She worked with Bush to rescue the American economy in the financial crisis of 2008 – when the Republican caucus refused to provide votes needed to shore up the economy.

She also worked with the re luctant Trump administration to provide pandemic relief amid a global health crisis and in early 2022 shepherded through Congress the largest

infrastructure investment bill ever.

Toughness leading a divided caucus

Profiles of Pelosi invariably comment on her toughness, a quality admired by both Obama and Boehner. She also led a Democratic caucus often divided by ideology, region, culture, identity politics and generational differences. Some on the left suspected her estab lishment ties. Critics on the right gleefully vilified her as some “San Francisco socialist.” Even the professorial Obama confessed he sometimes felt hectored by her passionate ad vocacy. Republicans cam paigned repeatedly on the simple pledge to “Fire Pelosi,” spending hundreds of millions on crude ads devoid of a leg islative agenda.

One can disagree with her positions, however, while still recognizing that Pelosi has been a fierce and effective ad vocate advancing her major ity’s agenda.

The record shows that her re sults-oriented approach has been consistent in its goals and clear in its principles. Such clarity has provided leader ship to the nation in fractured times. Her singular focus on advancing her caucus’ legisla tive agenda has made her the key Democratic Party messen ger of her generation.

She has now had the courage to step back, making way for a new leaders and new ideas. p

Gerald Warburg is a Professor of Practice of Public Policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, University of Virginia

Nancy Pelosi’s stepping aside will leave the door open for others. Editorial credit: Alexandros Michailidis / Shutterstock.com