Letter

Repeal Urstadt

On Feb. 28, the executive board of the United Federation of Teachers, which represents over 130,000 teachers and other school personnel, passed a resolution urging the City Council to not only renew rent regulations without any weakening amendments, but also to repeal the Urstadt Law. The Council must lobby the Legislature to repeal not only the Urstadt Law, but also the 5% vacancy provision, which could end all rent protections and controls.

These laws put city tenants at the mercy of upstate legislators who have no regulated tenants in their districts. Landlords can influence those legislators more easily than they can legislators from the city. The result has been a severe weakening of tenant protections in the past four years. Would anyone accept a law which prohibits the City of New York from managing its schools or its police and fire departments? Ironically, the very people who support these laws are the same people who preach that the federal government should turn over power to local government!

If the city reaches a vacancy rate of 5% or more, all rent regulations will automatically end, no matter what the City Council or the citizens of New York City want. Over one million tenants would lose all their protections. This almost happened with vacancy decontrol in the early 1970s, resulting in such social upheaval that the then Republican governor and Legislature had to reinstate rent regulations. The situation would be far worse today, since there is a much greater demand for high-rent apartments.

One of the causes of the American Revolution was that the British government could search our homes without a warrant, quarter troops in our homes without permission, and even seize our property. Today, the sacred right to be secure in our homes is protected by the Third and Fourth Amendments to the Constitution. We must repeal the Urstadt Law and vacancy provisions because they erode the very freedom our forefathers fought for—the right to be secure in our homes!

Tom Siracusa Retired Teacher

The UFT Resolution

WHEREAS, there is a severe housing shortage in New York City, and

WHEREAS, there will be no affordable housing in the city without rent stabilization and controls, and

WHEREAS, many UFT members, active and retired, as well as many other city residents, depend on rent regulations and controls to be able to live in New York City, therefore be it RESOLVED, that the UFT reaffirms its support of rent regulations and controls, and be it further

RESOLVED, that the UFT urge the City Council and Speaker Vallone to renew all rent regulations without any weakening amendments, and be it further

RESOLVED, that the UFT urge the City Council to work for the repeal of any law which prevents the city from strengthening rent controls and regulations.