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Newsletter for the Movement for Economic, Climate, and Racial Justice
 

The pandemic laid bare New York’s crumbling infrastructure, underfunded social services, and the abusive corporations that treated workers as disposable. Over 67,000 New Yorkers have died from Covid. That is unacceptable. In the next week, Governor Hochul and our state legislators working on the NY budget have an opportunity to invest in Covid recovery that prioritizes worker safety and the health of our environment. ALIGN is fighting to fund climate justice with NY Renews and to invest in the long-term vision of our NY HERO Act, giving workers a voice in workplace health and safety through worker committees. And at the city level, we embark on a campaign to fund public school retrofits for healthy kids and green union jobs. Our coalitions are building a movement to restore the integrity of our democracy, our governance, and our state.
 

New York can Lead on Climate, Jobs, and Justice

The stakes are too high for New York to wait on climate. The climate goals that we helped win in 2019 through the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act present an opportunity for New York to lead the country in climate action. But first we have to make the investments to reach those goals. We made that clear when ALIGN rallied alongside the NY Renews coalition in Albany to call for $15 billion in climate justice. This $15 billion investment in climate justice will move us toward a renewable energy economy, tens of thousands of green union jobs, and a sustainable future. These funds will also help projects in New York City, including building offshore wind projects and making our private and public buildings energy efficient. This includes the work we have been doing with our Climate Works for All coalition's #GreenHealthySchools campaign, a proposal to invest in solar and retrofits, starting with HVAC air control systems as a way to prevent the spread of airborne infectious disease. Climate action must happen at all levels of government, and a $15 billion investment in this year's budget will make huge impacts for frontline Black and brown New Yorkers. This one-click tool will allow you to call New York State leadership to demand an immediate and unprecedented commitment to climate justice funding.
 

#GetSanitationDone

We cannot afford cuts to the sanitation budget as waste piles on our streets, trash bins teem with rats, and low road private sanitation trucks pollute neighborhoods and threaten street safety. Yet, those are the exact cuts that are proposed in the Mayor’s austerity budget. Waste and climate advocates, including our Transform Don’t Trash coalition (TDT), joined elected officials to #GetSanitationDone and call for the restoration and expansion of the budget. “Waste is not a luxury,” said Bernadette Kelly of Teamsters Local 210, adding that budget cuts will harm union members. Members of the TDT coalition, co-coordinated by ALIGN, also called for the immediate implementation of Commercial Waste Zones, a safer and healthier private waste collection system that will reduce pollution and improve sanitation worker conditions.
 

Workers are Building Power with the NY HERO Act

The call for a healthy and safe workplace continues to be a central demand for workers across industries, a demand that grows louder throughout this pandemic, even as corporate profits continue to rise. This was the case for powerful campaigns by Starbucks workers, laundry workers, farmworkers, and media journalists, all of whom spoke at our State of the Worker Townhall commemorating the 2nd anniversary of the pandemic. Workers reflected on their fight for worker justice and discussed what’s next for workplace safety, including utilizing the NY HERO Act’s health and safety worker committees. These groundbreaking committees will be key in supporting worker organizing, building democratic structures in the workplace, and addressing health and safety issues. You can learn more about forming your own worker committee in our NY HERO Know Your Rights resource hub.

 

Welcome Lucas!

We are excited to welcome Lucas Shapiro as ALIGN's new Deputy Director! As a nonprofit leader in NYC for 20 years, he’s worked in volunteer-powered collectives, citywide coalitions, national mobilizations, and cross border solidarity initiatives. He’s been an organizer with member-led groups such as the West Side Neighborhood Alliance, and Families United for Racial and Economic Equality to win affordable housing and good jobs through local development. As a popular educator with the School for International Training, he led experiential study abroad programs in New York City and Barcelona connecting students to grassroots advocates, union workers, and progressive elected officials. He has served in the leadership of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, the People’s Plan, and as the co-founder of Mayday Space.
 

Alliance in Action

 

Make the Road NY - The Fund Excluded Workers coalition is marching from NYC to Albany for $3 billion in relief and to close the gaps in our safety net for good! Follow this incredible action here.

 

RWDSU - Congratulations to our partners for unionizing the first ever REI in the country in SoHo, NYC. Next stop, Bessemer Alabama where warehouse workers will send in their ballots at the end of the month. Follow the campaign here.

 

People’s Plan NYC - Dozens of organizations, including ALIGN, contributed to a collective vision for racial, economic, and climate justice.

 

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Together, we can win a stronger, more resilient New York. Please consider donating to ALIGN so we can continue building coalitions fighting for economic, climate, and racial justice