Judge Backs Bloomberg's Rejection Of Prevailing Wage Measure

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A judge has struck down a New York City "prevailing wage'' law that set pay for workers in some buildings.

The ruling was filed Monday. A Manhattan judge said he recognized the law's benefits, but the state minimum wage preempts the city measure.

It would guarantee wages topping $20 an hour for building-services employees at properties that get more than $1 million in city subsidies or lease significant space to the city.

The city's current minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg vetoed the measure last year. He sued the City Council after it overrode his veto.

"Government cannot bend the laws of the labor market without breaking the bank," Bloomberg said at the time of the veto.

Bloomberg spokeswoman Julie Wood said such laws discourage companies from doing business in the city.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn did not immediately comment. She had said the law aimed to ensure taxpayer subsidies help finance what she called reasonable wages.

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