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

In April, the Amazon Labor Union made history when the JFK8 warehouse on Staten Island became the first union Amazon facility in the nation. Since our win successfully blocking Amazon's plans for an HQ2 in Long Island City in 2019, communities and workers have been fighting at a local and national level to hold this abusive corporation accountable. These fights have been led by workers of color as we have seen in Bessemer, Alabama and many other warehouses across the country. Across industries, one thing is clear: workers are fed up with rising costs, unfair wages and working conditions, and runaway corporate power, and New York can lead the way to a fair economy for all.

 

ALIGN is fighting to make that a reality. In the past few weeks, we have launched new campaigns tackling corporate abuses, soaring inflation, and worker abuse. And for those already won, we’re working to achieve our vision of the climate future we deserve. With allies across sectors, we are leading the way to shift power back to the frontline communities that have borne the brunt of this extractive economy and building a movement toward a more equitable, sustainable New York.

Take Action

 

Read our new report about why the 21st Century Antitrust Act is Critical for New York’s workers

Submit a public comment on New York's Just Transition to ensure justice for workers and communities in the transition to a carbon-free economy.

 

Concerned about rising COVID numbers on the job? Form a worker health & safety committee to have a voice in workplace safety.

 
 

Worker Power over Corporate Power

In 2021, California passed the Warehouse Quotas law, holding e-commerce warehouses accountable for abusive conditions and setting the standard for warehouse safety nationwide. Here in New York, it’s no coincidence that warehouse injuries have spiked as e-commerce giants rapidly expand across the state, with Amazon the worst offender. As mega corporations line their pockets with soaring profits, warehouse workers suffer preventable injuries at three times the rate of other industries in the state, pushed by abusive quotas that force workers to work harder and faster than their bodies can take. These workers need protections on the job, and our New Yorkers for a Fair Economy coalition (NYFE) is up to the task.


Last month, we launched the Warehouse Worker Protection Act (WWPA), trailblazing legislation that will ensure safer and healthier workplaces in Amazon warehouses, fulfillment centers, and other comparable facilities. The bill mirrors California’s approach but strengthens it, empowering the NYS Department of Labor to enforce safety standards and giving workers a voice in their own workplace safety through NY HERO worker committees—legislation ALIGN won last year. We must hold large corporations accountable and ensure they are not expanding without control, work our NYFE coalition is pushing forward simultaneously with the 21st Century Antitrust Act. This bill would hold corporate monopolies accountable and level the playing field for workers by protecting wages, working conditions, and preserving the freedom to choose jobs. It’s time to put workers first and build a fair economy for all.

 

Raising the Wage in NY

As we fight for worker safety and corporate accountability, another issue rises to the top: inflation, corporate profits, and everyday costs are surging, but workers’ wages have plateaued. Every worker deserves a family-sustaining wage that pays the rent and puts food on the table, but New York’s minimum wage is failing to keep families afloat. It’s time to change that. Building on the momentum of the worker-of-color-led Fight for $15 campaign, ALIGN launched a new coalition— Raise Up NY—with National Employment Law Project, Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, Make the Road NY, RWDSU, SEIU 32BJ, and Strong Economy for All. A diverse coalition of workers, labor unions, businesses, and policy experts, we’re fighting for a minimum wage that keeps up with rising costs and continues to adjust for inflation so we don’t have to mount this fight again. The landmark legislation could mean $20/hour for NYC workers and other proportional raises across the state. NYS Labor Chairs and co-sponsors Senator Jessica Ramos and Assemblymember Latoya Joyner have been fierce champions of the bill, and their leadership is critical to winning this fight. Let’s raise the wage and provide lasting security to New York’s workers.
 

Protect, Repair, Invest, Transform to
Meet our Climate Goals

Dan Wright, Teamsters Local 813 President,

At Commercial Waste Zones Rally

 
 

Eddie Bautista, NYC Environmental Justice Alliance Executive Director at Brooklyn Climate Action Council Hearings
 

Bold investments and strong enforcement in New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) will give us a once in a lifetime chance to create thousands of good green union jobs, clean air, and a sustainable future. ALIGN and the NY Renews coalition rallied at Climate Action Council hearings this month in Brooklyn where community members voiced their demands for a just transition. Executive Director Maritza Silva-Farrell told the council in a testimony, “It is not a matter of if we transition to a green economy, but how. The State has an obligation to us, its people, to treat CLCPA mandates as legally enforceable. Without the ability to enforce this law, our climate justice legislation will become meaningless.”  Meanwhile, our Green, Healthy Schools Campaign is demonstrating how investments in solar and retrofits can provide healthier classrooms for our children while creating more union jobs, including for traditionally excluded groups. And our Transform Don’t Trash coalition rallied with City Council members to swiftly implement Commercial Waste Zones, won in 2019, which will make NYC sanitation safer and far more efficient by eliminating up to 18 million unnecessary truck miles per year from our streets. Across New York, workers and our communities are creating the blueprint for a just transition.
 

 

ALIGN in the News

Alliance in Action

 

Teamsters Joint Council 16 rallied at City Hall for the one-year anniversary of United Metro Energy workers’ strike for fair wages, calling on Mayor Adams to honor their picket line.

 

New York Central Labor Council - New York City workers, labor leaders, elected officials, clergy, and community members gathered at City Hall Park to mark Workers’ Memorial Day, honoring dozens of workers who have died or suffered illness or injuries while on the job in our City over the past year.

 

New York Communities for Change -New York community groups and financial watchdogs are demanding that state legislators take action and stop hedge funds from continuously looting distressed economies around the world.

 

Jobs With Justice - On May 2, the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice hosted the launch of Erica Smiley and Sarita Gupta’s new book, The Future We Need: Organizing for a Better Democracy in the 21st Century. ALIGN’s own Maritza Silva-Farrell moderated a panel for the event, discussing the state of the labor movement today with leaders including DeMaurice Smith of the NFL Players Association and Nadia Marin-Molina of National Day Laborer Organizing Network.