Newsletter for the Movement for Economic, Climate, and Racial Justice
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It’s September and the air is crisp with worker power—it’s #StrikeSeason, y’all! At the stroke of midnight last Friday, 150,000 UAW workers went on strike against the Big Three automakers, fighting for wages that keep up with the cost of living, improved retirement benefits, and an end to the tier system. ALIGN stands in solidarity with striking UAW workers in their fight for a fair contract!
2023 has been a landmark year for labor, while corporate greed and the severity of our climate crisis continue to peak. But our movement has fearlessly forged ahead. ALIGN’s Movement Builders Awards celebrate the tenacity of New York’s labor and climate justice movements, and the transformative power of collective action. We’re honoring:
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- SAG-AFTRA and WGA East, who have shut down Hollywood to stand up for their livelihoods
- Public Power NY coalition, who won nation-leading legislation to build public renewable energy
- Maritza Silva-Farrell, whose organizing with ALIGN and the Ford Foundation’s Future of Work(ers) program have left an indelible mark on New York state
Together, their achievements remind us of what we’re fighting for—a better world is possible!
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Get your tickets today to help us continue the fight against corporate giants like Amazon to win clean air, green jobs, and dignity and justice for all workers!
Join NY Renews’ mass call on October 4th to get plugged in to climate, jobs, and justice and our plans to win big next session.
Download our Know Your Rights guide for New York warehouse workers under the Warehouse Worker Protection Act, now in effect.
Together, we can win a stronger, more resilient New York. Become a sustaining member of ALIGN so we can continue building coalitions for economic, climate, and racial justice.
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Proclaiming Climate Victory
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Pictured left to right: ALIGN with the Transform Don’t Trash coalition; rolling out the banner with NY Renews
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It’s Climate Week in NYC, and ALIGN received a City Council proclamation as part of mighty coalitions Transform Don’t Trash (TDT) and NY Renews—a major honor! TDT won Commercial Waste Zones in 2019, reimagining the waste industry to reduce pollution, prioritize union jobs, and make NYC a safer, healthier place to live. ALIGN and our TDT partners NYC Environmental Justice Alliance, Teamsters 813, Natural Resource Defense Council, and New York Lawyers for the Public Interest are still fighting to ensure that commercial waste zones are implemented justly in communities across NYC. And NY Renews was recognized for New York’s nation-leading Climate Act (also won in 2019), which set the standard for so much of our continued climate work, with clear benchmarks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, ensure a just transition for fossil fuel workers, and center the needs of environmental justice communities.
At times as climate activists, we can be overwhelmed by the work still to be done. But it’s important to celebrate our victories and be inspired for what’s next. Cheers to our movement and a big shout out to fellow awardees Climate Jobs NY and Brian Lehrer, as well as Public Power NY, who we’ll also be honoring at ALIGN’s Movement Builders Awards on October 11!
And over the weekend, ALIGN joined 75,000 activists in the March to End Fossil Fuels, marching with the labor contingent and many of New York’s strongest unions. Now is our chance, and a call to action for our federal leaders, to build a just and safe future for all workers.
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ALIGN with the labor contingent at the March to End Fossil Fuels
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Climate Works for All rallying for solar power and green union jobs
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Last week, Climate Works for All rallied with Council Member Sandy Nurse, labor unions, and advocates to win solar power for NYC’s public buildings. CM Nurse introduced a new bill mandating solar goals for the next 10 years, that will create green union jobs, deliver renewable energy to communities citywide, and take another step forward in building Green, Healthy Schools—a longtime ALIGN priority with exciting news to come this fall. We must reduce our reliance on fossil fuels justly, equitably, and hand in hand with workers, and NYC can lead the way. Our relentless climate crisis demands urgency and action, and a vision for a sustainable future for our city.
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Interim Executive Director Lucas Shapiro was featured on am New York’s annual Power Players Rising list! Read the full Q&A.
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Updates from ALIGN's Board of Directors
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RWDSU - Earlier this month, REI Union SoHo staged a walkout to demand restored wages, good-faith bargaining, and an end to retaliation.
NYC Central Labor Council - On September 9, ALIGN joined the NYC-CLC and AFL-CIO for the annual Labor Day Parade, where the power of New York’s labor movement was on full display.
Make the Road NY - Make the Road NY celebrates 25 years of victories at their annual Dignity, Community and Power Awards on October 5th.
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