Judge tosses mayor’s living wage suit

The battle over living wage has taken on a life of its own. 

Last week a federal judge tossed out Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s lawsuit to strike down living wage legislation, saying the city had failed to establish the proper standing. But the fight — which began in 2009 over the Kingsbridge Armory — is still not over. 

After a long struggle, a watered down version of a living wage bill — originally introduced by Councilman Oliver Koppell — last year passed overwhelmingly, 45-5.

Mr. Bloomberg vetoed it, and when the City Council overrode his veto he sued in the City Council in July 2012. 

Now that the suit has been tossed out, his administration has vowed to keep the issue alive by bringing the  case to state court.

 “Today is a real victory for every New Yorker who is struggling to make it into the middle class. We are extremely pleased with the court’s decision to dismiss the Mayor’s lawsuit and hope that he will stop trying to use the legal system as a means of blocking the creation of decent paying jobs like those provided for by the Council’s Living Wage law,” said a joint statement by Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Councilman Oliver Koppell and Councilwoman Annabel Palma. 

The city’s business community and Mayor Michael Bloomberg have been adamantly opposed to the legislation from the beginning, fearing it would make the city less appealing to developers. 

Mr. Koppell introduced living wage legislation in response to a battle over a mall planned for the Kingsbridge Armory. The Bloomberg Administration had supported a deal to turn the 575,000 square-foot building into a shopping mall, but Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., with the backing of many community groups and other Bronx elected officials, opposed the plan because they felt the low-wage jobs and more retail stores near Fordham Road would hurt the local economy.

The bill’s language was changed numerous times to appease the legislation’s most vocal opponents, representing business interests, and to get Ms. Quinn to bring the issue to a vote.