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

It’s election season in New York—our annual opportunity to elect leaders who can move our state toward a just, renewable energy economy where people can live in communities free of pollution; work for fair wages under safe conditions and create career green jobs; and not just have their needs met, but thrive. 

This is the resilient future we envision for our state, and we need courageous leaders who will put the needs of working people ahead of corporations. Together, we’re building power to shift the conditions of the moment and move us closer to a fair, green economy for all.

Become a sustaining member of ALIGN and
join our movement for a just, sustainable New York.

TAKE ACTION

We’re hiring! ALIGN is looking for a Senior Policy and Research Analyst and a NYC Climate Campaigns Coordinator to join our movement for a just and equitable New York!

Upcoming Events:
October 13 - Join New York workers to speak out: No More Poverty Wages! Connect with our Raise Up NY coalition in Ithaca, NY today at 2:30 PM to discuss our vision for a stronger minimum wage, and stay tuned for more details on our November launch event in NYC.

October 24, 6 PM - Join NY Renews coalition for a mass call on our Climate, Jobs & Justice plan to ensure New York State hits its decarbonization and environmental justice goals.

November 16, 5 PM - we’re standing with New Yorkers across the state demanding action on the climate crisis and advocating for a package of bills that will fund the promises made in New York’s landmark climate law.

A Decade After Sandy

Breezy Point in Far Rockaway after Hurricane Sandy. Photo credit: Mishella / Shutterstock.

Ten years ago, Hurricane Sandy forever changed our state. It was a major wake up call that New York’s extractive economy has a body count; that Black and brown communities bear the brunt of extreme weather events; that the climate crisis was at our doorstep. Yet those same communities didn’t surrender, moving forward with hope and resilience. 

ALIGN was right there with those communities. Our Alliance for a Just Rebuilding coalition fought to ensure that jobs created by the recovery effort benefited low-income and Sandy-affected New Yorkers through the Build it Back program. Inspired by the greater call for climate justice, ALIGN co-founded Climate Works for All at the city level and NY Renews at the state level as an act of courage, taking on climate solutions led by the communities and workers most impacted.  

The work of just recovery must be transformative—why go back to something that was broken in the first place? A transformative recovery builds anew, more resilient and sustainable, and meets the moment characterized by our climate and Covid crises. Our campaigns are about a transformative recovery: solar panels and air control systems for Green, Healthy Schools prioritize the health of future generations of New Yorkers. Implementing Local Law 97 for cleaner, more efficient buildings is critical for cleaner air and our renewable energy future. And by investing in the mandates set by our nation-leading Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act and holding corporate polluters accountable, we can curb climate change and prevent future Sandys. This isn’t just about green infrastructure and jobs, but a fundamental shift in how we govern our communities, use our precious resources, and care for our environment.

Building a Movement

Clockwise from top left: MBA honoree Rahwa Ghirmatzion and guests, ALIGN team with honorees and guests, MBA honoree Sarita Gupta with ALIGN Executive Director Maritza Silva-Farrell, and Amazon workers from ALU & BAmazon Union accepting their awards. Photos courtesy Mettie Ostrowski.

On Wednesday, September 28, supporters like you came together to celebrate the wave of climate and worker organizing that has swept the nation at our annual Movement Builders Awards. The energy was electric. It was clear that our strategy is working: when we bring together labor and community, we win. 

The 2022 Movement Builders exemplify what it means to build worker power for a clean future. Amazon workers from the ALU and BAmazon Union stood up to corporate greed and inspired a wave of organizing across the country. Economic justice leaders Sarita Gupta and Erica Smiley envisioned a blueprint for the future of collective bargaining with their new book. And climate leaders Rahwa Ghirmatzion and James Shillitto innovate toward a green economy and a just transition for workers. 

Our deepest thanks to our sponsors and partners for your contributions. In case you missed it, here’s a look at our event e-journal, photo highlights, and a rousing video recap of our year’s work. And there’s still time to make an impact. By making a donation or becoming a monthly sustainer, you can help us win a more just, equitable New York.

Your support is essential to sustaining our people-powered movement for climate jobs and justice. When we come together in community, we build connections that keep our momentum growing, through the fights at our doorstep and those to come.

Another Prime Day without Protections

Next month marks three years since Amazon announced their plan to open a new corporate headquarters in NYC. With sights set on a $3 billion public subsidy to expand their empire, they made promises of jobs and infrastructure for Long Island City. But we knew better than to trust a corporation that’s harmful to workers, communities, immigrants, and the environment. 

ALIGN led the coalition that defeated Amazon and their brazen cash grab, and we’ve continued standing up to their monopoly, this year winning the Warehouse Worker Protection Act to bring transparency to abusive productivity quotas. But the WWPA still awaits Governor Hochul’s signature, and there’s no time to wait. This week, Amazon brought back Prime Day for a second time in 2022, despite a tragic worker death at their July event. The two-day sale leads to millions of new orders that must be fulfilled quickly, and Amazon has a track record of recklessness when it comes to worker health and safety. Workers across the country are speaking out about unfair conditions and retaliation, and the ALB1 warehouse workers in Albany vote in their union election this week. That’s why we must get the WWPA signed to protect New Yorkers, now and in the future.

ALIGN in the News

Executive Director Maritza Silva-Farrell is profiled on NYN Media about her history with organizing, advocating for workers’ rights, battling Amazon’s corporate power, and building coalitions for renewable energy; and on the Power Station podcast, sharing ALIGN’s organizing principles for systemic, transformational change.

Raise Up NY is on Spectrum News 1 New York lawmakers and advocates say minimum wage hike is needed and the Albany Times Union with a powerful op-ed by home care worker Lolli Edinger. 

Waste Dive: Los Angeles had a rocky commercial waste zone rollout but is seeing results. What’s in store for New York?

Alliance in Action

NYC Environmental Justice Alliance - NYC-EJA knows that heat mortality disparities and disproportionate vulnerabilities are not unique to New York City, which is why they fought for the first NYS law to mandate a study analyzing the impact of the urban heat island effect on disadvantaged communities across the State, just signed into law.

New York Communities for Change - As part of the NYC Street Vendor Justice coalition,  NYCC marched with vendors to City Hall, launching a campaign to invest in our city’s smallest businesses - street vendors!

NYC Central Labor Council - Workers at a Trader Joe’s in Williamsburg have filed for union representation. Organizers say the goal of forming a union was “to fight for an NYC living wage, better access to healthcare and paid time off, clear and fairly applied disciplinary processes, and much more.” 

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