Fur Workers Arrive at Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer’s office on Monday (Photo: Stallian)
June 14, 2019 By Shane O’Brien
A number of Long Island City-based fur workers went to Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer’s office Monday to urge him to oppose a bill calling for the ban of fur sales.
Employees of Long Island City-based Stallion and Astoria-based Funtastic Furs lined up outside Van Bramer’s district office in Sunnyside on Monday to see him. They didn’t have an appointment and he was downtown at the time.
“Council Member Van Bramer has refused to meet with his own constituents who would be put out of business if the fur ban goes into effect – so today we came to him,” said Koullis Pilas, a director at Stallion.
Many of the employees targeted Van Bramer since their jobs are in his council district and they believe that they would lose them if the ban were to go into effect.
Stallion employees left a letter with Van Bramer’s staff signed by 40 workers.
The letter outlined their fears regarding the legislation. Many fur workers are concerned that they would not be able to find work in a different field, because fur is such a specialized industry.
“We have special skills and worked hard to stay in NYC despite recessions, pressures to outsource or relocate, and now our jobs will be taken away from us. Please reconsider the fur ban to ensure our jobs are not lost and our families are not hurt,” the letter read.
Many employees say that they would have to leave New York City if the ban were implemented owing to their inability to find jobs that pay a similar wage.
In a statement, Van Bramer said that he didn’t refuse to meet the fur workers and that he is listening to everyone who has reached out to his office on the matter.
“We have received feedback about the proposed legislation to ban the sale of fur in NYC from people on both sides of the issue. I am listening to everyone who has reached out to my office and appreciate their voices in the process. I will continue to study the issue and consider all feedback,” Van Bramer said.
Legislation was introduced in the council in March that would see a ban on the sale of new fur garments and accessories in New York.
The industry, represented by FurNYC, contends that it would lead to the closure of 150 small businesses and put 7,500 New Yorkers out of work.
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29 Comments
What is the next step after fur? No leather, and wait veggies have feelings too specially fresh fruit. We make war to protect our resources in the name of democracy and bomb countries back to the Stone age or egnite a civil war. That is ok, but wearing a natural product like fur is bad. Please grow up.
It’s greed vs. animals. Too bad greed always seems to win :-/
The Left :
“Stop killing animals for fur!”
” Free Mumia!”
“Stop killing trees!”
” Feel free to drill a hole in the skull of a newborn baby and kill it!” (Cuomo will light up the Empire State building in your honor)
That is why he is commenting so much on this post
So what? He has a right to his opinion and he has a right to comment as much as he wishes.
Jeez, I can’t stand the left. Absolutely no tolerance for any viewpoint but their own. Everything else must be silenced. Leftists are the true fascists.
So he’s pretending he’s arguing in good faith; he’s really just trying to sell cruelty-infused coats.
Please tell us more about the importance of tolerance while you say “leftists are the true fascists” lmao. You have no tolerance for any viewpoint but your own, or any idea what fascism is.
If people start concentrating on real issues in this world, would be much.
better. the fur industry is much more regulated than the meat industry, ban fur ban leathers ban pocket books , it will never ever happen man kind is born to live of animals for food for warmth and for transportation been around for 1000s of years and will continue for millions more
Fur is an archaic practice! There are advances in modern technology that creates faux fur and synthetic leather WITHOUT the harming of live, sentient beings. Maybe its humans that need to get with the times.
If you dont like fur, dont wear it. I dont like carrots, i am not telling you what yo do. Mind your own business
No one is holding a gun to your head not to wear fur. But as you can see, more and more exposure are turning the public away from fur, so good luck with a dying practice.
This cruelty must stop. Give these people who do this training in another field. People do not need to wear dead animals not in the age of fake fur.
End animal cruelty and end abortions.
Fur is natural choice. Part of man kind. Fur is a fashion of choice
Learn facts before you voice your opinions! The fashion industry loves fur! Ever hear of free enterprise? I don’t need the government to tell me I can wear for her not !
It is very important that this law is passed and the murder of innocent animals….for the use of their fur…is stopped. This is not a matter of killing so that people can eat, it’s a matter of killing so that people can “look fashionable”. HOWEVER…the people who are afraid of losing their jobs in the fur industry need to be taken seriously and given training, immediately, in a different field. They must be able to support themselves and their families. That should be a part of this bill to stop the fur industry in NYC. Those workers need help to learn a new trade.
Get educated first. Then talk. fur is natural fur is been around for 1000s of years and furs will never go away fur is a fashion of choice
Democratically controlled NYC is not opposed to killing babies through abortion, but now is is stating through a fur ban that its not ok to kill small animals. That is it in a nutshell. What are your thoughts?
You’re a woman but don’t know what a baby is?
Definition: a very young child, especially one newly or recently born.
Pretty much hypocritical.
I agree, a pregnant woman should obviously be allowed to claim her baby (also known by muh libruls as an “unborn fetus”) on her tax return as a dependent, under federal law. All babies are claimed as dependents.
You’d support a law for that, right? That 1-day old fetus in her is a BABY for God’s sake!
I am an animal lover and I worked in the fur business for many years in NY and Europe where I was trained. Used to be taught at FIT (Design, matching, grading …)in Manhattan. I am against this simply because I know the business and if the opposition would get an education about the industry it would only be helpful.
Of course the other side would be the loss of many jobs only know job they’ve ever known.
No arguing please just a discussion.
Thanks
So what if someone says we should keep selling heroin because 7500 drug dealers would otherwise be ‘put out of work?’ Fur fashion has become a social and moral anachronism. It’s time the purveyors of such find another find a more honorable vocation.
Get educated
I’m all for this. JVB is clearly in the pockets of the anti-cruelty lobbyists.
Anyone against banning fur sales, MUST look at this video,
https://www.peta.org/videos/a-shocking-look-inside-chinese-fur-farms/
That video is a staged fake; see this: https://www.truthaboutfur.com/blog/skinning-fur-animals-alive-video-exposed-as-complete-fraud/
Surely “Truth about fur .com” isn’t biased lmao
Fake news by animal activists
This legislation needs to pass! Please call your councilmember and urge them to support Intro 1476 to ban the sale of fur in NYC. Fur-bearing animals live and die in absolute misery because of self-obsessed, heartless humans. You can signal status with an expensive watch, luxury car or jewelry if you want to show off. Subjecting an innocent animal to anal and vaginal electrocution is barbaric. These employees absolutely have transferable skills, to faux fur and other textiles. It’s absurd to argue otherwise. Here is the list of NYC council members and their neighborhoods. https://council.nyc.gov/districts/
this outdated trend should fade away, one of those things people did that need to just end, fur wearing and also boxing,