Newsletter for the Movement for Economic, Climate, and Racial Justice
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One year after Superstorm Sandy, ALIGN joined the Alliance for a Just Rebuilding for the “Turn the Tide” rally, calling on the City to invest in a just and equitable rebuilding and relief program. Community members from all five boroughs took over City Hall holding wave-shaped signs that read “We Deserve Good Jobs” and “We Demand Affordable and Repaired Housing.” The premise was simple: climate justice is housing justice is economic justice. In order to recover and tackle the climate crisis, we couldn’t just rebuild the way the City used to be – nor could we treat “climate” as a discrete issue – we needed to shift the way our entire economy worked.
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Next week, we are memorializing the anniversary of Superstorm Sandy only weeks after the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and Milton. Hurricane Helene is the deadliest hurricane since Katrina, killing over 200 people, with dozens still unaccounted for, and billions of dollars in damages. As we write this, Hurricane Oscar is now hitting Cuba and their power grid has collapsed.
Every day we are learning there is no climate haven for anyone, anywhere. Just as there are no borders for the climate crisis, there should be no borders in our movement. The movement for a just recovery after Sandy showed us that we are more powerful when sectors of our society come together in strong coalitions, from environmental justice to housing to labor. It will take all of us to turn the tide.
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Help Defend NYC’s Strongest Climate Law: New York City's strongest climate law is in danger. A new bill, Intro 772, has been introduced in the City Council which could weaken NYC’s Dirty Buildings Law. Take Action to say #NOto772!
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New York’s leaders have a chance to make corporate polluters pay what they owe to fund climate justice statewide. Join NY Renews on Oct 28th at 6 pm for our mass call, The Next Chapter: Our Fight for Climate Justice in 2025, to discuss the state’s proposed program
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During climate week, Councilmember Sandy Nurse’s public solar bill passed with overwhelming support in the City Council. With over 70% of dirty emissions coming from buildings, this bill will move us toward a green economy, cut dirty emissions, and create green union jobs. The bill requires the City to install solar panels on city-owned buildings like schools, government offices, public housing, and more, by 2035. This is a huge win. Executive Director Theodore Moore spoke on the importance of the bill, “We see this as another tool that we can be using to not only lower emissions, but to continue to be the guiding light for the rest of the nation." Major NYC unions attended to celebrate, including 32BJ, UFT, NYSNA, Local 79, and PSC-CUNY. Now that the goals have been set to build solar panels with this bill, we’ll need to keep fighting Green, Healthy Schools and the investments to make it happen.
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Joy, Power, and Love at the
Movement Builders Awards
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Photo credit: Sean DiSerio
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Big wins require big celebrations. Every year, we gather movement partners across labor, community, and climate for an annual celebration and fundraiser at our ALIGN Movement Builders Awards. Not only do we get to celebrate our own achievements, we also recognize leaders in economic and environmental justice who make New York a national model for progress.
This year, we were proud to honor an all-star set of Movement Builders:
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Benjamin Arana of IBEW Local 3 has been a critical labor voice in the movement to decarbonize NYC’s polluting buildings.
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As President of Teamsters Local 804, Vincent Perrone has worked with ALIGN and its coalitions to raise New York’s minimum wage, combat corporate abuse, and win worker protections.
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New York State Labor Chairs Senator Jessica Ramos and Assemblymember Harry Bronson shepherded our movement’s landmark legislation, including the Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Act, to victory.
With more ambitious work on the horizon — fighting to win green and healthy schools, transforming the solid waste industry, securing safer workplaces, and raising the minimum wage — ALIGN is grateful to have all of our amazing partners at our side. We’ll need all the support that we can get. By making a donation or becoming a monthly sustainer, you can help us win a more just, equitable New York.
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Photo credit: Sean DiSerio
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ALIGN rallies with Amazon Teamsters in Maspeth Queens to demand union recognition and a fair contract.
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Executive Director Theodore Moore moderating a ‘Building Power: Climate Organizing in NYC’ panel at the 2nd annual Climate Justice Forum at MOMA PS1.
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ALIGN with actor, writer, producer, and activist Kal Penn, who was honored at the Make the Road Gala!
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Climate Works for All coalition tabling in Jackson Heights, Queens at the Streetworks Climate and Art festival!
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