Crains New York - March 25, 2013 - (Page 10)

OPINION Beyond the jobs boom E very month, new employment statistics roll in and are dissected by economists and spun by politicians and activists. It’s tricky to separate the facts from the noise, but there is value in the data. They tell us that the national economy is gaining steam, but too slowly for most folks’ liking. They also show that while New York City’s unemployment rate is about a full percentage point higher than the nation’s, our local economy recovered more quickly from the recession and continues to add jobs at a faster rate than other metropolitan areas do. One can look at the statistics and see a validation of Gotham’s superiority. Even with the shrinkage of Wall Street in the last several years, New York has outperformed the nation in job creation, thanks to growth in technology, hospitality and other industries. A record 52 million tourists visited last year, a result of New York’s unmatched culture and low crime rate (not to mention new, modestly priced hotels in the boroughs and the rise of Internet booking). Silicon Alley is surging, and smaller tech companies have also sprung up in neighborhoods like Brooklyn’s Dumbo. There’s a boom here in higher education, too, as colleges and universities create and expand campuses. Even some small manufacturers are thriving, beating on the doors of the Brooklyn Navy Yard and any industrially zoned properties that might have affordable space available. In many ways, New York is a model for American cities. It CRAIN’S ONLINE POLL CRAIN’S NEW YORK BUSINESS editor in chief Rance Crain publisher, vp Jill R. Kaplan is diverse, dynamic and safe. Its social life and arts scene draw talent from far and wide. Its transit system connects innovators and welcomes immigrants, who are more likely to start businesses than homegrown Americans are. But while New York may be a paradigm, remember that it benefited disproportionately from the government bailout of the financial industry. There’s nothing like a few hundred billion dollars to help a place recover. And bear in mind that the strategy of attracting smart, entrepreneurial people—as San Francisco, Boston, Austin and a few other places do—is not scalable nationwide. Not every place can import a creative class. Ultimately, cities must grow their own. New York, too. But there is reason for concern. Nearly 80% of city high-school graduates arriving at CUNY community colleges need remedial courses. The poverty rate, almost 21%, is trending up. A skills gap traps many in low-wage jobs. For every Fort Greene, where cafés have replaced crack houses, there’s a Brownsville wallowing in despair. Solutions have been maddeningly elusive. So yes, bring the data: They show us where we’re failing. But, alas, not always how to succeed. Despite the city’s success, swaths of poverty remain COMMENTS Editorials on sick days bloomberg BILL’S BACKERS RESPOND SHOULD THE CITY BAN THE DISPLAY OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS IN STORES? Ⅲ Yes. Smokers will still know where to get their cigarettes, but others won’t be as tempted to buy them. Ⅲ No. Banning the display of legal products is a bossy government effort to save us from ourselves. 155 votes Date of poll: March 19 57% No 43% Yes FOR THIS WEEK’S QUESTIONS: Go to www.crainsnewyork.com/poll to have your say. 10 | Crain’s New York Business | March 25, 2013 Those who trivialize the need for paid sick days, dismissing it as time off to care for “a friend with the sniffles. Maybe even a pet with separation anxiety” (Editorial, March 4), should change places with the lowwage working mom who knows that staying home with her little girl running a high fever puts her job on the line. They can talk to more than a million others—most of them low-wage workers—who are denied even a single day of paid time off when illness strikes. For the record, the bill limits the use of paid sick time to caring for one’s own health or an immediate family member. —nancy a. rankin VP, Community Service Society Crain’s March 18 editorial, “Meet the sick-days police,” complains that the paid-sickdays bill contains provisions that allow the city to enforce the law. Yet there wouldn’t be much point in passing a law without some way to enforce it. The original bill contained no administrative remedy. The only option was to sue. In response to concerns from businesses and workers that court action would be expensive and cumbersome, the bill was amended so complaints could be filed with a city agency. NYC has no labor department, so Health was the logical choice. The bill’s enforcement scheme is like that of myriad other city laws except that the sick-day fines are much lower. It mimics paid-sick laws throughout the country that have triggered few complaints and even fewer fines because most complaints are resolved. All New Yorkers deserve the few paid sick days this law would give—and if the law is violated, it is only right that there be some way to enforce it. —sherry leiwant Ms. Leiwant is co-president of A Better Balance, a team of lawyers supporting workers’ causes. SCAFFOLD LAW MUST FALL As an attorney who has represented many scaffold and hoist companies over the past 20 years, I believe it is high time for the Legislature to narrow the broad scope of the scaffold law (“Builders, insurers stepping up effort to dismantle scaffold law,” March 18). A worker claiming an injury resulting from a height-related incident should be held responsible for his own comparative negligence. If an owner or contractor is liable for an accident, even without this statute’s protection, a jury will likely assess liability accordingly. Similarly, if a worker is responsible for his accident, a jury should be permitted to consider his actions and not allow the trial to be only about damages. Illinois revoked a similar statue; it is time for New York to revise this 19th-century relic. —joseph a. french French & Casey CRAIN’S WELCOMES SUBMISSIONS to its opinion pages. Send letters to letters@crainsnewyork.com. Send columns of 475 words or fewer to opinion@crainsnewyork.com. Please include the writer’s name, company, address and telephone number. EDITORIAL editor Glenn Coleman managing editor Jeremy Smerd deputy managing editors Valerie Block, Erik Ipsen assistant managing editor Erik Engquist senior producer, news Elisabeth Butler Cordova news producer Amanda Fung contributing editor Elaine Pofeldt columnists Greg David, Alair Townsend crain’s health pulse editor Barbara Benson senior reporters Theresa Agovino, Aaron Elstein, Lisa Fickenscher, Matthew Flamm reporters Chris Bragg, Matt Chaban, Daniel Geiger, Andrew J. 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All rights reserved. ®CityBusiness is a registered trademark of MCP Inc., used under license agreement. CRAIN COMMUNICATIONS INC. BOARD OF DIRECTORS chairman Keith E. Crain president Rance Crain treasurer Mary Kay Crain Cindi Crain executive vp, operations William Morrow senior vp, group publisher Gloria Scoby vp/production, manufacturing David Kamis chief information officer Paul Dalpiaz founder G.D. Crain Jr. (1885-1973) chairman Mrs. G.D. Crain Jr. (1911-1996) secretary Merrilee Crain (1942-2012) http://www.crainsnewyork.com/subscribe http://www.crainsnewyork.com/advertise http://www.crainsnewyork.com/events http://www.crainsnewyork.com/poll

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - March 25, 2013

In the Boroughs
In the Markets
Real Estate Deals
The Insider
Business People
Opinion
Alair Townsend
Greg David
40 Under 40
Classifieds
For the Record
Small Business
New York, New York
Source Lunch
Out and About
Snaps

Crains New York - March 25, 2013