New housing won’t aid middle class

To the editor,

Federal affordability guidelines released last year put middle income salaries in New York City between $100,681 and $138,435 a year. It is safe to say that the city’s cost of living has not declined since then.

State Sen. Jeff Klein says, “I think we have to concentrate our efforts on middle class housing because that’s who we’re losing.” (“Will new affordable housing come to NW Bronx?” Feb. 12). He overlooks that most of our loss of the middle class is not from them moving out of the city but from them dropping out of the middle class.

Police, fire, teachers, transit, sanitation and other government workers used to be middle class. But their so-called raises did not keep up with inflation, so now they’re not. Many private sector workers have done much worse since most don’t have union representation and none have civil service protection.

The attacks on public workers’ salaries and benefits have been to fund tax cuts and breaks for the wealthiest who already have more than they need. Wealthy private sector employers have slashed jobs, salaries and benefits out of pure greed.

Building more housing for a disappearing middle class will not help most people. We need different policies and practices that will bring people back into the middle class.

Richard Warren