Author Archives: Robert Shatzkin

Does MTA Construction Endanger Jobs?

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An F train at the Church Avenue F and G subway station. Photo: Jonathan Percy

In reports and articles about the economy we tend to focus on the unemployed and the underemployed. But with a scarcity of jobs on the market and a surplus of workers looking to fill them, keeping a job once you get one is critical.

A June article from Business Insider listed absenteeism and bad time keeping as the #4 most common reason that employees are fired.

As part of the MTA’s Viaduct Rehabilitation Project, a series of repairs that will continue through fall 2012, service on the F and G subway lines have been repeatedly disrupted throughout Brooklyn. One area in particular that depends on these two lines for service to and from Manhattan is Kensington. On Thursday morning I spoke to several commuters waiting for the trains that would take them to work. I wanted to find out just how much issues with train service affected their daily commutes.

Laura, 26, from Kensington on how train delays cause her frequent problems:

[audio:http://cdn.journalism.cuny.edu/blogs.dir/383/files/2011/10/Commuting_Laura.mp3|titles=Commuting_Laura]

Nancy, 51, discusses how she’s learned to pass the time during her long commute:

[audio:http://cdn.journalism.cuny.edu/blogs.dir/383/files/2011/10/Commuting_Nancy.mp3|titles=Commuting_Nancy]

Phillip, 47, from Flatbush is pretty forgiving of the MTA despite the occasional strain on his commuting time:

[audio:http://cdn.journalism.cuny.edu/blogs.dir/383/files/2011/10/Commuting-Phillip.mp3|titles=Commuting Phillip]

Natural sound from the Subway platform:

[audio:http://cdn.journalism.cuny.edu/blogs.dir/383/files/2011/10/Commuting-Natsound.mp3|titles=Commuting Natsound]

 

Kensington and Windsor Terrace Parents and Kids Gather For Safety Awareness Night

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[Show slideshow]
Parents and kids from the Kensington and Windsor Terrace neighborhoods in Brooklyn met at P.S. 130 tonight to address issues of safety for both children and adults. The meeting, which included presentations by the NYPD’s 72nd precinct as well as Democratic Councilman Brad Lander, featured a mix of official and grassroots organizations. It was organized by members of the Friends of Greenwood Playground, a local community group.

According to Dari Litchman, a member of the FOGP and tonight’s emcee, the event was originally scheduled after the murder of 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky in July, but was repeatedly postponed due to scheduling conflicts. As a series of sexual attacks against women have continued however, the group decided that the event should go forward. Continue reading →

Participatory Budgeting: How Will It Affect Kensington’s Economy?

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Photo courtesy of samuelalove

As discussed in articles from The New York Times, and the Daily News, Brad Lander, City Councilmember for the 39th district in Brooklyn, which includes Kensington, is bringing “Participatory Budgeting” to his constituents. The initiative, tried previously in Brazil as well as in Chicago in the United States, allows members of the community to have a direct say in how $1 million dollars in discretionary funds will be spent. Meetings have already begun throughout the district to pitch ideas and elect the neighborhood delegates who will ultimately craft the final proposals for spending the money. Residents will vote on the potential options.
Continue reading →

Robert’s Social Media Diary: Looking For Love in All the Wrong Places

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I recently joined my CD’s local facebook group (Kensington, Brooklyn), which has almost 2,000 members. So I thought it would be a great place to try and drive traffic to my previous blog post. In a stroke of luck, it just so happened that several people in the group were having a conversation about the local post office, the subject of my post. So I jumped into the discussion.

So far, there haven’t been any responses (I did get one “like”!). But my previous posts to the group have generated a pretty substantial back and forth so I’m hopeful I can persuade at least a handful of members to follow the link to the class blog.

I also tried a more general post on Facebook, similar to what I initially did to try to promote my blog post. So far no luck there either.

To gather material for my survey blog post I again turned to the FB Kensington group. I was hoping to get a sense of what issues its members were thinking about in regards to jobs. So I asked several questions that I thought might generate some discussion. Of course, everyone’s a comedian.

I wasn’t nearly as confident about using Twitter. My account is pretty fledgeling so far, but I hoped that tying in some hashtags would help draw people. I used twitter to promote my post. and to start fishing for some survey ideas. To promote my blog post I tied my tweet to #kensington and #postoffice. As for the survey ideas I ended up choosing a pretty generic hashtag through Google trends, although #unemployment is trending pretty hard right now. Instead of just asking for general ideas for a survey, I tried a more specific question in the hope that the range of responses would give me some good material.

The caveat to all of this is that I tried to see how quickly people respond to FB and Twitter posts so I did everything today. It is possible that I might get some good feedback in the next few days

Would You Miss the City’s Worst Post Office?

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The Post Office in Kensington, Brooklyn

The post office in Kensington, Brooklyn. Photo reproduced by permission of Jim Henderson

The recession, budget problems and a decline in the amount of mail being sent and received have combined to force the government and the United States Postal Service to consider drastic measures.

Postmaster General Patrick Donohoe publicly outlined a plan that would cut service, create massive layoffs and potentially lead to the shutdown of thousands of processing centers and post offices across the country.

CNNMoney reports that President Obama recently spoke out in favor of ending Saturday mail service as a way for the Postal Service to save money and avoid cutting jobs. The news cite previously discussed how the layoffs, potentially 120,000 of them would effect one of the nation’s largest employers of minority workers.

For the residents of Kensington, Brooklyn all this doom and gloom might not be such bad news. Their local post office has often been referred to as the worst post office in New York City. Complaints range from slow waits and rude staff to mail delivery well after business hours. Several years ago a Wiki page sprang up collecting complaints from customers and even local politicians. The site also links to a popular Youtube video of an enraged man literally “going postal” on a rude teller.

So you might expect that people in Kensington won’t be too upset if their mail service is cut, since it can’t get much worse. You might even think that many residents wouldn’t shed a tear if the branch closed completely.

“It’s still the worst.” Said Connie Lambropoulos, a local restaurant owner.

Lambropoulos however, along with many other local residents say that the post office still has plays a critical role in their daily lives. “I do need it for my business. I use it for all my business mail” She admitted. “So I would miss it if it was gone.”

How much do you still use your local post office? If your neighborhood had the “worst post office in New York City,” would you miss it?

New York City Faces Tough Task In Creating New Jobs

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Will the American Jobs Act create or preserve jobs in New York City? Photo courtesy of Marsmet48

In his address to Congress on September 8th, President Barack Obama touted the ability of his proposed American Jobs Act to create new jobs and put unemployed Americans back to work. The bill’s potential effect on New York City’s job market is part of a larger local debate among experts, politicians and columnists over how best to tackle the city’s struggling economy.

  • New York City Comptroller Sees Benefits to Jobs Act: The Office of New York City Comptroller John C. Liu released a preliminary analysis of the President’s jobs bill that estimates significant benefits for the city’s economy. Based on their calculations, this would include tax cuts and the preservation or creation of 25,000 jobs in 2012.
  • City Might Not See Long Term Benefits: The Daily News quotes experts who doubt that President Obama’s American Jobs Act will ultimately benefit the New York City’s economy long-term. Among the issues: tax cuts won’t spur small businesses to hire new employees and the plan lacks a focus on improving the city’s infrastructure.
  • Mayor Tackles Job Creation: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced grants to small businesses to fund employee training programs. According to the Epoch Times, the Mayor believes the grants will lead directly to new jobs and spur economic growth.
  • Packed Cities Lead to More Jobs: Ryan Avent, the economics correspondent for The Economist, argues in a New York Times editorial that denser cities breed more jobs and stronger growth. His view? The more tightly packed the city, the better.

New York Teens Face Uncertain Employment Future

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As New York’s economy struggles to recover from the nationwide recession, unemployment and poor job prospects continue to affect not just adult workers, but younger generations as well. However, the causes of the problems teens face trying to enter the workforce are not limited to the country’s financial woes. Furthermore, the long-term effects go beyond the loss of extra spending money.

Reuters cited a report from Northeastern University’s Center for Labor Market Studies to illustrate that the summer job outlook is worse than ever for teens. Even more alarming, their struggles now may make it harder for for teens to find full-time work later in life.

Mae Anderson of the Associated Press points out that the combination of unemployed teens and parents facing lower or non-existent wages is making retailers nervous, especially during the critical back-to-school shopping season.

According to the Wall Street Journal, children who are part of the city’s foster care system are facing a much greater struggle to find employment than their peers. The WSJ article takes its cue from a report entitled, “Fostering Careers” published by the Center for an Urban Future.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a plan to combat the disparities between young black and Latino men and their peers, including in the job market. Part of the initiative is aimed at creating better ways to guide them toward employment.

The New York Times reports that Bloomberg also cited the initiative as a potential remedy for the rash of shootings that occurred over Labor Day weekend.