Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Bloomberg Fights Living Wage With $1 Million Self-Serving Study
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Oct 5, 2011
Modified Oct 5, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Oct 5, 2011
Modified Oct 5, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Mayor Bloomberg really does not want to raise wages for workers in "low-skilled jobs" in New York City. How much does he hate the idea of raising wages to $10 an hour, or $11.50 an hour at companies that get $1 million or more in city subsidies? So much that he used $1 million in city funds for a study [pdf] that reached the same conclusion as a study performed this spring did: paying workers more will kill jobs. Up to 13,000 jobs. Comptroller John Liu reportedly said that the "report is so flawed its not worth the bandwidth for a download."
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. agrees, saying in a release that the study is "nothing more than a ruse designed to provide cover for Mayor Bloomberg’s clearly stated opposition to living wage mandates." Conveniently, Dmitry Medvedev Council Speaker Christine Quinn now has an excuse to sit on the bill. Will that please the businesses that may or may not donate to her anticipated mayoral campaign? Pure coincidence! Besides, it's not like the city is grappling with a poverty epidemic or anything.
Tagged
boondoggles
bronx
christine quinn
fiscal policy institute
john liu
living wage
mayor bloomberg
mayor for life
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Peepapalooza: NYC is heading to the Hudson Valley to watch the leaves
Don't be surprised if you run into someone from your building in Beacon.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
Sean Carlson
Published Oct 24, 2026 at 10:46 a.m. ET
NYPD: Officer shot, injured knife-wielding woman during ‘chaotic’ night at Queens home
The woman is in stable condition, police said, but several people were stabbed.
By
Ryan Kost
News
NYPD: Officer shot, injured knife-wielding woman during ‘chaotic’ night at Queens home
The woman is in stable condition, police said, but several people were stabbed.
By
Ryan Kost
3 slates vying to run Jersey City school board as city stares down major tax hikes
By
Michael Sol Warren
5 men charged with trespassing in 2 Manhattan manhole cases
By
Charles Lane
6-year-old girl breaks leg after getting hit by falling bricks in Queens
By
Charles Lane
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .