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BRONX TIMES REPORTER, J BTR UNE 11-17, 2021 13
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BY JEN SOLOMON
The food and beverage industry
has been one of the
hardest hit by COVID-19.
Business owners from downtown
restaurants to wholesale
distributors suffered major
losses due to supply chain
issues, directives to limit capacity
or close their doors,
and staff shortages on and
off for an entire year, making
it nearly impossible to
sustain a business. In New
York alone, hundreds of thousands
of food service employees,
including many here in
the Bronx who manage and
stock local warehouses and
drive delivery trucks were either
laid off or forced to step
away due to health concerns
or any of the compounding effects
of the pandemic (i.e. lack
of childcare, diminished public
transportation, lack of access
to required COVID testing,
etc). Today, even as these
businesses reopen and begin
to hire again, there are new
hurdles to jump for safety,
and new challenges around
budgets, wages and the unknown
future of COVID-19.
Luckily there is a solution
in front of the New York
State Legislature right now
that would not only jumpstart
the industry, but would have
a lasting impact on it, its employees,
and the customers
and communities they serve.
The Beverage Industry
Jobs Act, aka the “At Rest”
bill (S386/A5153), is an important
economic play for the
state at a crucial moment in
its COVID-19 recovery. Right
now, in addition to all of our
other challenges, New York
State is struggling with a
mass exodus of wine and liquor
wholesalers and distributors
and continues to
lose millions in revenue to
surrounding states due to a
loophole in our alcohol regulations.
At Rest would require
that alcoholic beverages imported
into New York be delivered
fi rst to a licensed New
York State wholesaler and
stored at a location or warehouse
owned by the wholesalers
for 24 hours. By changing
how alcohol is brought into
New York’s restaurants and
liquor stores, we can generate
millions in revenue, better
ensure the authenticity of the
alcohol being consumed, and
create and retain thousands
of union jobs for drivers and
warehouse workers.
In fact, At Rest does these
things so well that this law already
exists in some form in
over 30 states, including all of
New York’s bordering states.
According to an independent
economic study, At Rest would
create more than 4,000 jobs, a
GRP of $427M, and over $17M
in tax revenue, while creating
more demand for warehouses,
warehouse workers
and the union members that
deliver the goods. Wholesalers
would have reason to reconsider
New York as a home
base, and the building of new
warehouses in key areas (like
the Bronx) would create both
food service and construction
jobs. Local businesses
stand to gain a stronger opportunity
to compete without
having to use alternative
or illegal channels. To top it
all off, by ensuring that New
York State can collect and
benefi t from the taxes on the
purchase, At Rest stands to
help make up budget shortfalls
and put people back to
work amidst the pandemic
economy.
If you need to know more,
one only has to look at its list
of supporters and opponents.
The one major opponent to
this bill is the warehouse
owners in New Jersey who
have been eating our lunch on
this issue for decades. (Some
of these laws in neighboring
states have existed since the
1930s.) Today, much of the liquor
taxes on New York State
alcohol ends up in New Jersey
– and frankly, it’s past
time to reclaim that revenue.
As for supporters, At Rest
unifi es the labor community
and the state’s business interest
groups, a rare allyship
that speaks to its wide range
of benefi ts.
As this legislative session
wraps up for summer,
it’s time for elected offi cials
to take an interest in innovative
solutions that present
a win for everyone. At Rest
can provide a framework for
the food and beverage industry
to create jobs, get back
to business and stay in businesses,
and it will close a
loophole that can solve some
of the State’s budget woes
without creating undue fi -
nancial burdens for already
stretched constituents.
Signed,
Assemblymember Michael
Benedetto (D-Bronx)
David T. Young, International
Vice President, United
Food and Commercial Workers
International Union
(UFCW)
Why make fi re
safety more
of a concern?
BY PAULETTE SHOMO
There are many worries and concerns that public housing
residents of New York City have running through
their mind on a regular basis. As a former President of
Marble Hill Tenants Association, and now a member of
the Board, it’s my job to help my neighbors address those
concerns and find ways to fix them in the long run.
It recently came to my attention that state lawmakers
are pushing legislation through the Senate and Assembly
Chambers that would remove flame retardants
from many everyday household items. Items like couches,
chairs, mattresses, and electronic devices.
But, flame retardants are part of these items for a reason,
the reason being to slow the spread of fires. For as
long as I can remember in my 50 years living in public
housing, flame retardants have been an important layer
of protection from residential fires for NYCHA residents.
Not long ago, there was an apartment fire a floor below
where I live. The fire was serious, and it put residents
here on notice about future risk. As I think back to that
fire, it makes me further question why would we want a
product banned that stops fires like the one at my building
from becoming even deadlier?
This legislation is worrisome to me, and as I talk to
more of my neighbors, it’s clear it is worrisome to them
as well.
It’s important for people to understand that NYCHA
developments like Marble Hill Houses have more than 10
floors of apartments. Every second that a flame retardant
is able to slow the spread of fire means more time for residents
to safely evacuate and for first responders to arrive.
Fires across the Bronx were once more frequent than
anyone wishes to remember. But, when I hear about legislation
that would eliminate our first line of protection
against residential fires, I’m forced to recall the fear that
my neighbors in the Bronx lived with decades ago.
I’m a Board Member of my Tenants Association. So, I’m
doing my part to advocate for my neighbors, but also for
myself, by spreading the word about my concerns about
this legislation. I have started talking to my neighbors,
sharing information at our board meetings, and talking
to my local elected officials about my worries.
I am encouraging lawmakers to vote no on this legislation
that would only make it harder for New Yorkers like
me to escape fires. Immediate human safety must come
first.
Benedetto + UFCW on
At Rest bill
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