Crain's New York Business articles from January 2009

Crain's New York Business archives from January 2009

Hard Times: News brand shops assets to cut debt; Its share of HQ may join Red Sox on block to fund pricey product as ad decline hits home.(News)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Matthew Flamm In the past year, The New York Times Co. has slashed the dividend it pays investors by 75%, cut the companywide head count by 8%, raised the newsstand price of the flagship paper while merging its sections, and...

STRESS AND THE CITY; New York is gripped by fear. Are we headed back to the bad old days of the 1970s?(News)
January 5, 2009... Byline: DANIEL MASSEY and MIRIAM KREININ SOUCCAR The financial crisis drove Robert Lovenheim out of town. Last week, after six years in an Upper West Side luxury rental, he packed up and moved with his wife to rural Pennsylvania. The idea...

An audit's details.(Small Business)
January 5, 2009... Biggest benefits are for companies with 20 or more employees and/or substantial spending on telecommunications or utilities bills. Some auditors work on retainer, regularly scanning bills for mistakes or potential efficiencies. Most...

Navy Yard set to recruit Admiral's Row developer; Fate of old mansions to be decided; another RFP planned for site in Williamsburg.(News)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Theresa Agovino After 20 years of debate and controversy, the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp. expects to issue a request for proposals for the six-acre site housing Admiral's Row--10 historic but crumbling residences more than...

Mortgage pros lead investors from pit; Some ex-Streeters find jobs as advisers; survivors get less pay.(News)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Aaron Elstein At rrms advisors' offices in an aging building on East 40th Street, Vincent Spoto and his four partners share space with a small headhunting outfit, and they hold meetings in a windowless conference room the size of a...

The Insider.(Briefs)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Erik Engquist and Matthew Sollars The budget battle and the crystal ball gov. david paterson's budget includes a laundry list of cuts and new taxes and fees. An even longer list of affected groups have lined up to oppose them....

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS.(Briefs)
January 5, 2009... Mayor Michael Bloomberg: I resolve to consult regularly with Ed Koch about the perils of becoming irascible, cranky and ineffective in my third term. I resolve to stop pretending that Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey does anything without my explicit...

Best of Bob Lape.(Business Lives)(Restaurant review)
January 5, 2009... More Indian and Latin destinations: Bengal Tiger (3 stars) www.bengaltiger1.com 144 East Post Road, White Plains. (914) 948-5191. One of the best Indian restaurants in America. Rayuela (3 stars) www.rayuelanyc.com ...

POLL COMMENTS: Caroline can't coast on famous name.(Viewpoint)
January 5, 2009... She's never been worthy, never been qualified, never been experienced in anything remotely connected with being a senator. If her last name wasn't Kennedy, this poll wouldn't exist. Caroline Kennedy is the Democrats' Sarah Palin. ...

Caroline bobbles her Senate bid; Awkward Kennedy still has supporters.(News)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Erik Engquist Caroline Kennedy has severely damaged her bid for the U.S. Senate and has little time to salvage it, campaign consultants say. After bombing in her media rollout and failing to impress political and labor leaders in...

The Weeks Ahead.(Calendar/Datebook)
January 5, 2009... Byline: maia blume This Week's Events January 6 Lower Manhattan Business Solutions Center holds seminar on starting a business. 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., 79 John St., second-floor conference room. Free. (212) 618-8914 or...

Puma takes steps toward expansion.(Real Estate)
January 5, 2009... Sneaker company doubles space in midtown office Sneaker maker Puma North America is more than doubling its footprint at 209 W. 38th St., between Seventh and Eighth avenues. Puma already has 5,400 square feet on the sixth floor and...

In Brief.(Briefs)
January 5, 2009... Nearly 80% of the city's nonprofit cultural institutions, which range from big-name museums to small dance troupes, report they already have or are planning to cut their budgets, according to a new survey by Alliance for the Arts provided...

Brooklyn Flea hops indoors; Market spinoff comes to Dumbo; aims for higher- caliber vendors.(Neighborhood Journal)
January 5, 2009... The brooklyn flea is taking shelter. The eclectic antiques and art market that has become a popular Sundays-only fixture since its launch in Fort Greene in the spring, will open indoors in Dumbo. The market, sponsored by real estate blog...

Why pay for TV? Many young professionals live without cable.(Business Lives)
January 5, 2009... Byline: amanda fung When maren wolf and her boyfriend, Joey DiSilvio, moved to New York City from the West Coast in August 2007, they didn't have full-time jobs and couldn't afford cable television. Ms. Wolf, 23, has since landed a...

Indian-Latin hits Manhattan; New midtown duplex offers creative fusion cooking with flair; has kinks to iron out.(Business Lives)
January 5, 2009... The indian-born women driving the new At Vermilion in the old Django space hope that "the most vibrant of reds'' will not be the ink in which its history is written. Majority owner Rohini Dey, executive chef Maneet Chauhan and chef de...

Has Caroline Kennedy proved herself worthy to be a U.S. senator? CRAIN'S ONLINE POLL.(Viewpoint)
January 5, 2009... 357 votes Date of poll: Dec. 30 41% No. She's created a backlash among people who think she's lobbied too hard for the position and is too willing to trade on her famous name. 36% No. Her campaign to become better-known has...

Tips for avoiding a return to the '70s.(Economic Outlook Report)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Alair Townsend We're just not going to return to the dark old days of the '70s, when service cuts all but destroyed our quality of life.'' In saying this, Mayor Bloomberg is acknowledging the terrible price the city paid during...

Mayor needs an economic plan.(Viewpoint)
January 5, 2009... The proposition Mayor Michael Bloomberg has put to New Yorkers goes something like this: "In the past seven years, I have demonstrated the political courage and managerial savvy that will be needed to guide New York through the tough times...

Milberg rides Madoff; Scandal-plagued law firm rebuilds image, representing Ponzi scheme victims.(News)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Hilary Potkewitz Bernard madoff is said to have ruined many a fortune, but for one law firm, history's largest alleged Ponzi scheme is opening the door for a comeback. The law firm formerly known as Milberg Weiss--considered...

Music marketing muse; EMI appoints head of marketing for its 13 record labels; parent is in trouble.(Business Lives)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Amanda Fung When howard Handler joined MTV Networks 16 years ago, he played a critical role in the cable network's transition from music videos to original programming, helping to launch shows like Beavis & Butt-head and The Real...

Young inmate's fate in doubt; Effects of charity's collapse felt far away from NY elite.(News)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Miriam Kreinin Souccar Joe sullivan has never heard of Bernard Madoff. But he may never see freedom because of him. The 31-year-old was sentenced to life in prison without parole when he was just 13 for a sexual assault some...

WHAT'S IN STORE FOR 2009.(News)
January 5, 2009... The city's unemployment rate will hit 9%. --Fiscal Policy Institute The city will lose 175,000 jobs, including 38,000 Wall Street jobs. --NY state comptroller Wall Street bonuses will be cut in half. --NY state comptroller City...

New York, New York.(Briefs)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Valerie Block Film, TV shows produce jobs Ugly betty, starring America Ferrera (above), was partly responsible for the one pretty number to come from the city's November jobs report--the worst since Sept. 11. The city lost...

Misery Meter; Weekly reading on the direction of the city's economy.(News)
January 5, 2009... -4.9% Change in number of tourists visiting from July through December, versus a year earlier (NYFiscalwatch.com) -20,900 Number of private-sector jobs lost in the city in November. (NYS Department of Labor, Eastern...

Executive Moves.(Business Lives)
January 5, 2009... Byline: maia blume Accounting & Consulting Deloitte Financial Advisory Services: Irene Walsh, 51, joined as a managing director and U.S. leader of the infrastructure and project finance advisory practice. She had been an executive...

DEADLINE FOR DIGITAL; Action needed to maintain TV signal.(Business Lives)
January 5, 2009... If you are a New Yorker who depends on an antenna for TV service, you will have to take action before Feb. 17--the day that TV stations are required to broadcast programming strictly through digital transmissions--to continue receiving a TV...

TOP 10 REASONS NEW YORK ISN'T HEADED BACK TO THE 1970s.(Economic Outlook Report)
January 5, 2009... 10 The mayor says so. 9 President-elect Barack Obama won't tell the city to drop dead. Experts say his proposed stimulus package could provide a boost to the city. 8 We won't lose the 285,000 manufacturing jobs that we did between...

An audit's details.(Small Business)
January 5, 2009... ***** Correction: Yosef Rabinowitz is managing director of TBRC Cost Recovery. His name was misspelled in the Jan. 5 small business column. ***** Biggest benefits are for companies with 20 or more employees and/or substantial...

RUDIN MANAGEMENT CO.(Real Estate Report)
January 12, 2009... Bill Rudin oversees a real estate company that owns 17 office buildings of various vintages, sizes and descriptions around town. In dicey markets like this one, the normal flow of lease expirations presents a major challenge. "We've got...

COHEN BROTHERS REALTY.(Real Estate Report)
January 12, 2009... For many developers, the past five years brought unprecedented opportunities to buy, build and sell office property, but not for Charles Cohen. The president of Cohen Brothers Realty decided to sit the party out, spending his cash on buildings...

WHERE THE WELL-HEELED ARE.(Real Estate Report)
January 12, 2009... New York City is shoe repair central. The Shoe Service Institute estimates there are about 200 shops in the city. Because malls never made much headway in the city, street-level shops were able to survive here while they failed elsewhere....

Bernie's Bagman; Merkin sucked into maelstrom of Madoff's scheme; suits expected from faithful clients who lost billions.(News)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Aaron Elstein J. ezra merkin had it all. He managed nearly $7 billion out of a plush Park Avenue office. He was chairman of one of the nation's largest lenders, GMAC, and he served on the boards of prominent nonprofits. He is a...

In the Markets.(News)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Erik Ipsen NY area's losers swamp the winners For many companies, last year was the grimmest in memory. For many New York area firms, it was that and more. Over the course of the year, the Bloomberg/Crain's Index of 196 area...

Hot Jobs.(Business Lives)
January 12, 2009... Byline: amanda fung WANTED: president and ceo organization New York Blood Center JOB DESCRIPTION Oversee one of the nation's largest nonprofits and community-based blood centers MOST IMPORTANT TASK Continue to expand the...

Best of Bob Lape.(Business Lives)(Restaurant review)
January 12, 2009... Other eateries of Asian persuasion: Tengda Asian Bistro 3 stars www.tengdaasianbistro.com 286 Katonah Ave. (next to the post office), Katonah, N.Y. (914) 232-3900. A colorful pan-Asian attraction serving hefty portions of...

LANDLORDS GET CREATIVE.(Real Estate Report)
January 12, 2009... More and more landlords are embracing the concept of short-term leases as the lesser of two evils--the alternative being empty space. When a Manhattan-based law firm moved out of its 15,000-square-foot home at 125 Maiden Lane, landlord Time...

Correction.(Corrections)(Correction notice)
January 12, 2009... Yosef Rabinowitz is managing director of TBRC Cost Recovery. His name was misspelled in the Jan. 5 small business column.

The Insider.(Briefs)
January 12, 2009... Byline: erik engquist and matthew sollars Decisions, decisions Wiretaps captured the governor of Illinois crowing that his power to appoint a U.S. senator was "golden,'' but for his counterpart in New York, it seems more like a lead...

THE DURST ORGANIZATION.(Real Estate Report)
January 12, 2009... Ten years ago, The Durst Organization hired an investment bank to see how the family-run business should reposition itself. "We wanted them to study how much bigger we should grow our property portfolio, whether we should consider becoming...

The perils of real estate hype.(Viewpoint)
January 12, 2009... "Anyone who thinks price appreciation is over in this market is dreaming.'' --a leading Manhattan real estate broker, July 2008 The bottom is finally dropping out of the city's residential real estate market, and there are lessons to be...

Madison Ave. caught; Vacancies soar along gilded strip; 5-digit rents driving away all but the jewelers.(News)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Cara S. Trager At crisci tanino, a posh leather-goods store on Madison Avenue and East 67th Street, Patrizia Sicari routinely sold five pairs of shoes at a time--with some costing more than $1,000. No more. "Now, they are...

Bernie's Victims.
January 12, 2009... Byline: hilary potkewitz Phyllis Molchatsky Age 61 Years investing with Madoff 7 Losses $2 million sitting at her desk in the Rockland County branch office of a brokerage firm one day in 2001, Phyllis Molchatsky noticed...

What's ahead for city: tale of 4 downturns.(Viewpoint)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Greg David In the past four decades, New York has been engulfed by three major recessions before this one. The most compelling question now is illustrated by the following numbers: 225,000, 329,000, 610,000. Those numbers...

New faces on deck for Fashion Week; Big-name designer dropouts open door.(News)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Adrianne Pasquarelli Fur-trimmed jackets and chic gowns are not the only things debuting on the runways at Fashion Week at Bryant Park next month. The eight-day event will feature some fresh faces when it begins Feb. 13. With...

In Brief.(Briefs)
January 12, 2009... The number of visitors to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island increased 5.2% last year, to 3.6 million. The number could have been even greater, however, if passengers could pass through security more quickly, according to Statue Cruises,...

Architect fits landlord's design; Pricey renovation helps draw Goshow to West 28th Street.(Real Estate Report)
January 12, 2009... Goshow architects inked a 10-year deal for the entire fifth floor of 44 W. 28th St., between Broadway and Sixth Avenue. The asking rent for the nearly 11,600-square-foot deal was $40 a square foot. Last year, the building's owner, Stellar...

METER MADNESS.(Real Estate Report)
January 12, 2009... For generations, landlords have relied on a host of special "service charges'' to boost their earnings. On services ranging from freight elevator use to submetered electricity charges for each space, building owners typically tack on 8% to 12%....

Apthorp owners' dispute may hit rabbinical court; Warring partners try to settle before lenders move in.(News)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Theresa Agovino The two warring owners of the famed Apthorp apartment building have won an extra six days to work out their differences before one of their lenders moves to throw the building into default. Maurice Mann, an...

Should Bernard Madoff's bail have been revoked? CRAIN'S ONLINE POLL.(Viewpoint)
January 12, 2009... 489 VOTES Date of poll: Jan. 6 91% Yes. By his actions, he violated a court injunction that froze his assets. He can't be trusted and should be in jail. 9% No. Bail is designed to ensure that a defendant doesn't flee while...

WANTED: president and ceo.(Business Lives)
January 12, 2009... WANTED: president and ceo organization New York Blood Center JOB DESCRIPTION Oversee one of the nation's largest nonprofits and community-based blood centers MOST IMPORTANT TASK Continue to expand the organization CREDENTIALS...

Misery Meter; Weekly reading on the direction of the city's economy.(News)
January 12, 2009... $11.3B CITY'S expected budget gap over next two fiscal years (NYC Independent Budget Office) 524,000 JOBS LOST in December (U.S. Department of Labor) -3.5% BLOOMBERG/ CRAIN'S New York stock index weekly change.

BUYERS' LESSONS.(Real Estate Report)
January 12, 2009... Brokers are not the only ones scrambling to remember the lessons of previous downturns and turning to more seasoned colleagues for help: Landlords are in the same boat. Those who've been there know that in both selling and managing real...

Shedding Those Holiday Pounds.(Business Lives)
January 12, 2009... Byline: willow jarosh Portion size has a huge effect on weight and gets blown out of proportion during the holidays. To get back in shape, use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate and fill half with veggies and half with whole grains...

TriBeCa tribute to a sinful site; Macao Trading evokes earlier era with Portuguese-Chinese dishes; hard to find.(Business Lives)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Bob Lape Visiting Macao Trading Company requires a spirit of adventure, and more than a little patience. With no signage, it's hard to find. The search, however, pays off in an exotic atmosphere inspired by a nefarious Southeast...

New York, New York.(Briefs)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Valerie Block New players' shirts score with fans Sales of David Wright and Derek Jeter T-shirts have slowed as Mets and Yankees fans make way for two new stars on the diamond. Fans are scooping up shirts bearing the names and...

THE COMING DELUGE.(Real Estate Report)
January 12, 2009... The scarcity of retail condos on the market may end late this year, according to several brokers. They note that nearly $36 billion in securitized loans written in 2006 and 2007 will come due in the second half, triggering defaults and,...

LaGuardia hatches design incubator.(Neighborhood Journal)
January 12, 2009... Byline: hilary potkewitz Community college facility aims to boost small business in immigrant-rich area Starting this month, 10 young Queens designers interested in starting their own businesses will begin one-year stints in a...

SENATE DEAL Pain vs. gain.(Briefs)
January 12, 2009... The deal that put Democrats in control of the state Senate and made Malcolm Smith majority leader produced gain and pain across the political spectrum: WINNERS Malcolm Smith. He might never be as powerful as Joe Bruno was, and he's...

Poll Comments: Madoff belongs in the slammer.(Viewpoint)
January 12, 2009... The man is the vilest of the vile, is he not? A hard-core sociopath narcissist who probably has no sense of guilt or shame. Lock him up and throw away the key. Why does he deserve special dispensation? If I had stolen a chicken from Whole...

Occupancy drop forces layoffs at hotels; Housekeeping staffs take the biggest hit; upcoming events, new properties offer hope.(Bernie's Victims)(Calendar)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Lisa Fickenscher Now that the holiday season--one in which deep discounts kept Big Apple hotels hopping--is over, the industry is joining the pink slip parade. Tourists have skipped town, leaving in their wake plummeting...

Delta's NY air force; Troubleshooting skills will help exec run local operations postmerger, add traffic in tough era.(Business Lives)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Hilary Potkewitz In gail grimmett's 13-year career with Delta Air Lines, practically every promotion has coincided with an economic disaster. She was put in charge of corporate forecasting shortly before the Sept. 11 terrorist...

Sports Museum in trouble; Downtown facility slashes admission fee, markets itself to improve attendance.(News)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Miriam Kreinin Souccar The sports museum of america, one of the newest cultural venues in the city, opened to fanfare eight months ago. But hugely disappointing attendance and the economic downturn have forced the museum to lay off...

No helping hand; Struggling families sue mortgage fixer AMA; paid but got nothing in return.(News)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Daniel Massey The mortgage payments on their Queens home had already shot up $400, to $3,200 a month, when the grim news arrived: Aoah and Equintal Middleton's 8-year-old daughter's cancer was back. The family had been...

Lowly beer hits high-end eateries; Famed chefs add brews to menus as consumers pinch their pennies.(News)
January 19, 2009... Byline: Lisa Fickenscher The name daniel boulud has long been synonymous with haute cuisine and fine wine served up in plush dining rooms. This spring, the four-star chef will try something different. He will open a brasserie. "It will...

Where To put your money in 2009.(Business Lives)
January 19, 2009... There are a few places you should consider investing. Infrastructure and alternative energy are two sectors that are set to rebound. There's an opportunity to find some good deals, and the new administration is likely to put a lot of money into...

MAYOR'S RACE Weiner on warpath.(Briefs)
January 19, 2009... By making well-publicized appearances in all five boroughs last week, including a Citizens Union breakfast last week, Rep. Anthony Weiner rescued his mayoral campaign, which had been sliding toward irrelevance. After railing against term limits...

The Insider.(Briefs)
January 19, 2009... State of the City: Mike's 2009 plans Mayor Michael Bloomberg had the misfortune of delivering his eighth annual State of the City speech on Thursday, the same day that a commercial airliner made an emergency landing in the Hudson River and...

Atlantic Yards still just an artist's rendering; Project stalls amid lawsuits, recession and credit crunch.(planning of multipurpose development by real estate developers)
January 19, 2009... Byline: Theresa Agovino Talk about an unhappy anniversary. Five years ago last month, Forest City Ratner announced its plan for Atlantic Yards, a massive 22-acre development in Brooklyn that would include 8 million square feet of...

The Carnage.(Business Lives)
January 19, 2009... Byline: Source: Eastern Consolidated 20,900 Private-sector jobs lost in November, the largest one-month loss since Sept. 11 11,700 Net jobs lost through first 11 months of 2008 17,800 Securities industry jobs shed...

New York, New York.(attendance records of Guggenheim Museum)(Patina Restaurant Group opens franchisee)
January 19, 2009... Byline: Valerie Block Guggenheim comes full circle Despite spending most of the year with its famed Frank Lloyd Wright-designed exterior under wraps, the Guggenheim Museum broke attendance records in 2008. The number of visitors jumped...

Brokers land in the rough; Morgan Stanley, BofA up ante as individual investors head for the exits.(Wall Street Woes)
January 19, 2009... Byline: Aaron Elstein Last week, Morgan Stanley agreed to buy half of Smith Barney and form the nation's second-largest brokerage, a behemoth with more than 20,000 employees. Meanwhile, Bank of America is working feverishly on its...

In Brief.(Briefs)
January 19, 2009... Restaurant Week began on Sunday, but its organizers are already considering extending the promotion through February, according to a board member of NYC & Company, which sponsors the event. "I think that our restaurants would do it,'' says...

Jobless, lovelorn rush to network; LinkedIn, Facebook, Match.com report record traffic as economy falters.(News)
January 19, 2009... Byline: Amanda Fung When inna shaulskaya lost her job at a jewelry wholesaler in November, one of the first things she did was log on to her LinkedIn account. Though she had joined the professional social network a few years earlier, she...

Looking to Obama to take FDR's torch.(Franklin Delano Roosevelt)(Viewpoint essay)
January 19, 2009... Byline: Alair Townsend Jan. 20 is being heralded as the beginning of a new era. But for many of the Depression babies among us, this must seem like a replay of the transition from Herbert Hoover to FDR. Then, as now, after a period of...

Agenda for Small Business.(Small Business Report)
January 19, 2009... This year, the political landscape for small business is fraught with danger and possibility. Government action in response to the economic crisis may help small business--but the wrong actions could just as easily hurt the sector most likely...

Literati read Random House tea leaves, and worries mount; As publisher revamps divisions, imprints, it's bye-bye, bidding wars.(News)
January 19, 2009... Byline: Matthew Flamm As the dust settles on a reconfigured Random House Inc., the book publishing community is busy trying to interpret what the changes announced last week will mean. There's a lot to ponder about the restructuring,...

Misery Meter; Weekly reading on the direction of the city's economy.(News)
January 19, 2009... $825B Size of Democrats' two-year stimulus package unveiled last week -10% Fall in December U.S. consumer spending from year earlier -4.4% Bloomberg/ Crain's NY stock index weekly change Negative meter change from...

Seafood eatery makes a splash; Fishtail by David Burke combines fresh dishes with sustainability; a whacky dessert.(seafood restaurant Fishtail provides sustainable service to customers)
January 19, 2009... Byline: Bob Lape The irrepressible Da-vid Burke is angling for sustainable seafood fans at Fishtail, a dandy new duplex maritime magnet on the Upper East Side. Rely on the ebullient chef to tickle the funny bone as well as the palate in...

Health care reform, loans critical; What small business needs.(News)
January 19, 2009... Byline: Elizabeth MacBride & Steve Weinstein As barack obama takes office this week, Larry Wente feels both hope and fear. A partner in a 31-employee architecture firm, he hopes that Mr. Obama's infrastructure and education spending...

POLL COMMENTS; Crain's poll respondents comment on whether the appointment of Timothy Geithner as Treasury secretary should be blocked.(Viewpoint)
January 19, 2009... How can Geithner head the Treasury (which supervises the IRS) when he obviously broke the law when he signed his tax returns? I am a practicing C.P.A. with 28 years of experience, and those kinds of multiple "errors'' are not typical, except...

Stimulus funds, new policies top wish lists; What NY busness wants.(News)(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... Byline: erik engquist Barack Obama is becoming president on Tuesday, but as far as elected officials and interest groups in New York are concerned, it's as if Santa Claus is arriving in the White House. With a major recession under...

Hot Jobs: WANTED: president and ceo.(Business Lives)
January 19, 2009... Byline: miriam kreinin souccar organization HELP/PSI JOB DESCRIPTION Running a nonprofit that helps people living with HIV/AIDS who have a history of chemical dependency MOST IMPORTANT TASKS Finding new funding sources and...

Organizing his world; NYC Central Labor Council head will work to protect jobs, bring federal stimulus to city.(New York City Central Labor Council )
January 19, 2009... Byline: Daniel Massey Jack ahern got his first union card while still in high school, mopping floors in New York City public schools. Earlier this month, he took charge of 1.4 million card-carrying workers, becoming president of the...