July 14, 2016
A coalition of labor leaders and elected officials is urging Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign a bill aimed at cracking down on Airbnb advertising.
Those urging Cuomo to sign the legislation, shepherded through the Legislature by Democratic Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal and Republican Sen. Andrew Lanza, including AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento.
“I am pleased to see Assemblywoman Rosenthal and Senator Lanza do the right thing and fight back against the illegal hotel industry, which exasperates New York’s affordable housing crisis,” Cilento said in a statement.
“Due to rising housing costs, all across New York, working people are finding it more difficult everyday to remain in neighborhoods where they’ve raised their families and call home. Working people deserve respect and dignity in their communities, as much as they do in the workplace.”
In addition, Cuomo is being urged on by New York City Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer and New York City Central Labor Council AFL-CIO Vincent Alvarez.
“Airbnb has flouted the laws that protect affordable housing for years, and now with new legislation to further crack down on the proliferation of illegal short-term rentals, I urge Governor Cuomo to send a strong message that New York prioritizes hard working New York families by signing this bill into law,” Van Bramer said. “It will give our city another strong tool to crack down on illegal hotels and preserve affordable housing.”
The measure, which bans advertising of short-term rentals of multi-family dwellings, was approved at the end of the legislative session in June.
The bill would block online advertising of multi-family dwellings for rent, a move seen as an effort to curtail the growth of Airbnb, especially in New York City.
Supporters of the bill say it would help curtail a reduction in affordable housing, which has driven up the cost of other rental units.
For the company, Cuomo’s consideration of the bill comes as it is also fending off a challenge in San Francisco over its listings of unregistered hosts.
More broadly, lawmakers in New York this year declined to allow for the upstate expansion of Uber and Lyft, apps that provide ride-hailing services.