When the City of New York and the union representing workers on the Staten Island Ferry finally reached a long-term labor agreement in September, I felt intensely – even unreasonably – proud. The pact provided about 150 crew members with their first wage hikes in thirteen years, an astounding period for any workforce to keep…… Continue reading Over & Back
Category: local history
“Fix This House”
Roger and Maria Markovics on the winding road to tenants’ rights. Ten Bucks I owe you? Ten Bucks you say is due? Well that’s Ten Bucks more’n I’ll pay you Till you fix this house up new. – “Ballad of the Landlord,” Langston Hughes, 1940. The ground-floor office of United Tenants of Albany was tucked…… Continue reading “Fix This House”
Escape to Fresh Kills
Sometimes, on less humid days when the smog didn’t hang too thick above the lower bay, the view from the boardwalk was downright effulgent. I was a teenager at the time and so, by definition, not a morning person. Still, I would pause for a moment to take in the ocean view before entering the…… Continue reading Escape to Fresh Kills
Cross the Narrows 