After lighting candles, Rabbi Allen Schwartz (far left) leads a group at the Jewish Center in prayer during a show of support for the families of the victims of the shooting at the Ozar HaTorah Jewish School in Toulouse France. Joining the rabbi on stage were Lea Tolub Frank from Toulouse, France, Emmanuel Fhal, Lyor Dahan and Ron Meir from the Anti-Defamation League.

Compiled by Megan Bungeroth

ESPAILLAT GUNNING FOR CONGRESS
Several weeks ago, State Sen. Adriano Espaillat denied any interest in running in a primary against Rep. Charlie Rangel, who currently occupies the northern Manhattan congressional seat, in an interview with City & State. “He’s a well-liked guy and he’s a legend. It’s tough to run against a legend,” he said. Several weeks later, Espaillat opened a congressional exploratory committee. Now, sources close to Espaillat confirm that the state senator has begun circling petitions to collect signatures for a run for Congress.
He testified in federal court last week in support of a congressional district that solidifies an African-American voting block as well as the creation of a new Latino seat. After all his advocacy for a Latino-majority district, Espaillat had little choice but to put his money where his mouth is. Rangel responded by releasing a laundry list of his 30-plus-year career in Congress and reaffirmed his intent to run for re-election.

ANOTHER GROCERY STORE GONE?
Last week we reported on the labor dispute that may force neighborhood favorite Food City, on Amsterdam Avenue between 94th and 95th streets, to close its doors. Now we’ve discovered that another nearby grocery store may be on its way out. A neighbor reports that the shelves of the Associated Supermarket on Amsterdam Avenue near West 99th Street are looking mighty bare, and a person answering the phone at the store on Tuesday said that they may indeed be closing for good. The store is slated to get the final word on its fate from the bigwigs this Friday.

ROSENTHAL SUPPORTS WORLD WATER DAY
Last week, on International World Water Day, Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal highlighted this year’s theme of  “Water and Food Security” by emphasizing the link between access to and maintenance of sustainable fresh water resources and the security of the global food supply.
“We live in an increasingly interconnected, globalized society, and we must be aware of how our consumption patterns, combined with the impact of global climate change, affect the availability of fresh water and food around the world,” said Rosenthal.
She cited the fact that climate change is expected to reduce the amount of rainwater available for agriculture, creating an increasingly competitive fight for resources in developing countries.
Joining in the public awareness campaign, Upper West Side company Rubicon Property invited people to walk through the still-unfinished doors of its new storefront on Columbus Avenue hauling jerricans, the containers that many people in developing countries use to carry fresh water long distances. The company donated $1 for every person who did so to Charity:Water, the international organization that digs fresh-water wells in developing countries. Rubicon confirmed that they raised about $600 during the event, including donations from curious passersby who wandered in, to be donated to the charity, and that they plan to host similar community events when their office is fully functional.

Health Care Plea: Patients from the St. Mary's s Healthcare System for Children gather to deliver handmade cards to the district office of State Assembly Member and Health Committee Chair Richard Gottfried, asking him to protect Medicaid for the growing number of medically fragile children across the state. Photo by Andrew Schwartz.

BROCKHOLST TENANTS UP IN ARMS
Some tenants of the The Brockholst Apartments, at 101 W. 85th St., are once again decrying their landlord’s alleged disregard for safety. Resident and president of the tenants’ association Marta White says that the building’s management, a company called 85th Columbus Corp, is aiming to rent their improperly modified basement space to a preschool this fall, which the company’s website confirms. White claims that the backyard the company purports to offer the little tykes is nothing more than a fire trap and is actually just the rear holding area for the building. White is also concerned about the noise and safety concerns that might result from having kids running around the very small, concrete-covered area.
“The yard is around my whole apartment,” White wrote in an email. “It also, of course, faces the whole of the interior block with the adjoining brownstones and big apartments on West 86th Street.”
The building has come under local scrutiny in the past, from elected officials as well as the Department of Buildings (DOB), for making illegal and unsafe modifications to the landmarked building. City Council Member Gale Brewer told the West Side Spirit last year that she didn’t “understand how the city can allow this kind of enterprise,” and the DOB continues to issue violations and stop work orders. It’s unclear who the supposed new tenant will be or if they really will move the little charges into the space this fall, but until they do, the tenants’ committee is fighting against it.

CARBON SQUEEZE, TAKE TWO
Upper West Side group The Carbon Squeeze is hosting its second community event designed to educate and inspire locals to reduce their carbon footprints. On Monday, April 2, 7 p.m., the group will welcome Colin Beavan, also known as No Impact Man, to speak about his experience living in Manhattan totally “unplugged.” Beavan led his family to produce no trash, consume no power from the grid, travel only by human power and buy nothing except local food for an entire year. He will share his experiences and tips for cutting back (though probably not as drastically) to reduce individual environmental impact.
The event is free, but an RSVP is required to carbonsqueeze@gmail.com. It will take place at Goddard Riverside, 593 Columbus Ave.

Photo by Karl Crutchfield

The perfect neighborhood grocery store—one with a variety of products, fresh produce, good prices and friendly staff – is a precious commodity in Manhattan, and many Upper West Side residents have found that grocery store standby in Food City, a family-owned outpost on Columbus Avenue between West 94th and 95th streets. A seemingly intractable labor dispute, however, may be threatening the store’s future and could soon result in another vacant retail space.

Food City, which also has a store in Brooklyn and one in Westchester, has been a union operation for over 50 years, but now the owners say that they cannot afford to operate with the current union contracts. The union, Local 338 of the Retail, Wholesale, Department Store Union (RWDSU)/United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), has responded with the familiar grotesque, giant inflatable rat, which they have stationed outside of Food City, urging locals not to support the business. Union representatives stand by it four days a week, handing out fliers, letting customers know that behind the scenes of the well-stocked food shelves inside, a battle for the future of the store rages.

“There’s nobody around me that’s union. It creates an unfair competitive environment,” said Paul Berger, one of the owners of Food City. He said that if other area stores like Duane Reade or Whole Foods employed unionized workers, their prices would be more in line with what he can offer, but that since they pay their workers far less and don’t shell out for benefits, non-union stores are driving him out of business.

“I have people that put frozen food in the cases, that’s all they do—open a box and put frozen food in a case—that make $56,000 a year with five weeks vacation, full medical, dental, pension, time and half on weekends. I have multiple employees like that,” Berger said. “As a business owner, it’s become unprofitable to operate the way we’re operating.”

The union contends that Food City is just pinching pennies and trying to take benefits away from workers who have earned them, and that many workers earn far less than Berger’s example.

“The reason for the informational picketing, the flyers and the rat is that the management has engaged in unfair labor practices, including intimidating workers, threatening to fire workers, interrogating workers about union meetings,” said Joe Fontano, communications director for Local 338. “We’re just trying to relay that message to [the public].”

Fontano said Food City wants to eliminate medical coverage for all workers except for assistant managers and managers, reduce pension benefits and stop pension contributions and reduce paid time off. He said that Food City walked away from negotiations last year and won’t budge.

Berger doesn’t dispute that he offered a reduction in some benefits, but said he didn’t refuse to negotiate; his final offer was rejected and he wasn’t willing to do much more, he said.

“We’re going to offer our employees a job. We’re going to cut vacation from five weeks to three, not cut anyone’s pay,” Berger said of his final offer to the union. “I’m going to keep my doors open. Other people in my position have closed their stores and sold them.”

Fontano said Food City refused to even consider a proposal from the union that would have saved $50,000 over two years in medical costs, and that they aren’t willing to compromise.

“They just want more profit, they just want to do it on the backs of the people working there,” Fontano said.

As the fight continues and both sides dig in their heels, residents have become concerned about losing a popular grocery store.

“It’s a neighborhood market, in a sense it’s been there forever,” said Mark Maas, a member of the West 94th Street Block Association who has been anxiously watching for developments at Food City. His concern, which he said many neighbors share, is a lack of good alternatives, both in price and quality, if Food City goes under.

“We can go to the Whole Foods up on 97th Street, we can go to the bodega on the corner, we can go to D’Agostino down on 91st and Columbus, but none of them are satisfactory because of the prices,” Maas said.

Berger said that he simply isn’t able to amend his last offer to the union, and that if they won’t accept it, he’ll cut his losses and close the store.

“It’s sad for the Upper West Side that another grocery store might bite the dust,” Berger said. “If I’m a bad person for paying someone $56,000 for packing broccoli, then I’m a bad person.”