LIC fur business fi ghts citywide ban
Presses Van Bramer, de Blasio to stop plan, claiming it will leave thousands without jobs
BY MARK HALLUM
A Long Island City-based
fur manufacturer is looking
to Councilman Jimmy Van
Bramer to represent their
interests as City Hall mulls
the pros and cons of a ban on
fur products.
Although Council Speaker
Corey Johnson has retreated
on the issue, opting to pause
any action against the
industry, Stallion employees
have each signed a letter
asking Van Bramer to consider
their economic needs and
contributions before taking
firm stance against fur.
Koullis Pilias of Stallion
wrote a letter signed onto by 40
of the company’s 90 employees
claiming that Van Bramer
refused a meeting with them
regarding the ban.
“Council Member Van
Bramer has refused to meet
with his own constituents who
would be put out of business
if the fur ban goes into effect
– so today we came to him,”
Pilias said. “The proposal to
ban fur and erase a historic
industry along with more
than 7,000 jobs is outrageous
as it is, but for Mr. Van Bramer
to ignore people in his own
district adds insult to injury.
I sincerely hope that he takes
the time to hear our stories and
gain a greater understanding
of the fur industry. He’s
invited to stop by our shop at
any time.”
A Van Bramer spokesman
told QNS that the accusation
that the councilman would
The proposal to ban fur and erase a historic industry
along with more than 7,000 jobs is outrageous as it
is, but for Mr. Van Bramer to ignore people in his own
district adds insult to injury.
—Koullis Pilias, Stallion, Long Island City
not meet with Stallion
representatives is not true. The
group arrived unexpectedly
when Van Bramer was not
in his office, the spokesman
said, expressing willingness
to schedule an appointment.
Photo via Flickr Creative Commons
Legislation against the sale
of fur in the city was introduced
in City Council in March by
Johnson himself who in late
May backtracked claiming he
had underestimated support
for the trade.
Johnson returned to the
drawing board on the law
telling reporters on May 29 he
had put his heart into the bill
which received pushback he
did not expect.
“We are happy to hear that
Speaker Johnson is rethinking
his decision to erase an
entire industry, 7500 jobs and
hundreds of millions of dollars
in taxable revenue,” said Fur
NYC spokesman Tim Grant.
“The City Council has many
important issues to solve, and
infringing upon our personal,
religious, and cultural rights
are not among them.”
Johnson may be working
in a phase-in period of three
years to allow workers time
to adapt before a full stop
comes making and selling fur
in city limits. The speaker’s
district covers parts of the
garment industry.
“We have received feedback
about the proposed legislation
to ban the sale of fur in NYC
from people on both sides of
the issue. I am listening to
everyone who has reached out
to my office and appreciate
their voices in the process. I
will continue to study the issue
and consider all feedback,”
Van Bramer said in response
to the letter from Stallion.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said
he would air on the side of
caution in signing any bill
making its way to his desk,
and was not confident of this
particular piece of legislation,
while on the Brian Lehrer
Show on May 24.
“I believe we need to get
away from fur. And the only
question I have is how we do
it and what kind of phase in
as appropriate,” de Blasio
said. “Look, there are people
in the Garment District with
jobs in this area. We need to
be sensitive to that. We – you
know, people’s employment
is very, very important.
Companies, you know,
including smaller companies
in the city, we want to be
respectful that. So I think
the, how you do it, the how
you phase it in, still needs to
be worked through and I have
not seen that final wording.
But the intention is the
right one.”
After moving its operations
to Long Island City in 2007, the
city Economic Development
Corporation awarded Stallion
funding grants for the
benefits they bring to
the community through
employment and commerce.
Stallion also has retail
stores throughout the city,
they claim.
The company claims $25
million in annual sales, the
ban could also put workers
on the street who have skills
that do not translate into
other sectors of the fashion
industry.
Stallion also owed about $8
million to the city’s Revenue
Refunding Bonds that would
be defaulted on if the company
were to shutter.
Reach reporter Mark
Hallum by email at mhallum@
schnepsmedia.com or by phone
at (718) 260–4564.
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