Mayor Bloomberg, City Council in tug of war over bills to help 'working poor'

The mayor and City Council played tug of war Tuesday over two bills to make private employers shell out more to their workers.

One plan would require all private employers to provide workers a minimum of five days of paid sick leave a year.

The other bill would require building owners who receive city tax breaks or other subsidies to pay their building maintenance workers a prevailing industry wage.

Both measures are largely aimed at helping the so-called "working poor," many of whom are paid the minimum wage and receive skimpy or no benefits.

Council sponsors, and their supporters, pushed the measures with opponents at separate hearings.

Mayor Bloomberg, through a representative, flatly opposed the prevailing wage bill, and signaled his displeasure at the sick-leave bill by not sending anyone to the hearing.

Neither bill is headed for a showdown vote any time soon, but the door was left open for more negotiations.

The bills have the backing of some council members elected with the help of the Working Families Party, which favors hiking the income tax for high earners and for Wall Street bonuses.

But in a speech yesterday, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio said he opposes any new tax on bonuses, distancing himself from the WFP and the bonus tax-hike supporters, including Controller John Liu.