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

This week, Governor Hochul’s State of the State address made history as New York’s first by an elected female governor. She made major strides for workers and our environment: proposing an index to the minimum wage so it keeps up with the cost of living, creating an Office of Just Transition to ensure no worker is left behind as we phase out fossil fuels, and investing in funding climate solutions. These are big wins and cause for celebration! 

But it will take urgent action to ensure New York is a prosperous home for working families who are struggling to make ends meet. We need to increase the minimum wage from where it’s frozen at $15, so 2.9 million underpaid workers can get a raise and deliver lasting economic relief to our state. And climate solutions must move forward with equity, investing in frontline communities where the climate crisis is a grave threat to health, safety, and livelihoods; creating thousands of green career jobs; and building a clean energy economy for a true people’s state of New York.

Together, we can win a stronger, more resilient New York in 2023. Please consider donating to ALIGN so we can continue building coalitions fighting for economic, climate, and racial justice.

Building Blocks Toward Healthy and Safe Workplaces in NY

Victory! ALIGN ended 2022 with two major wins for workers when Governor Hochul signed the Warehouse Worker Protection Act (WWPA) and an amendment to the NY HERO Act into law.

With the WWPA signed into law, New York strengthens a national movement to thwart corporate power and challenge Amazon’s rampant abuse, protecting warehouse workers from secret quotas that prioritize dollar signs over people. This win is a monumental step to empower workers, and in 2023, we plan to build on it by creating injury prevention programs that design warehouses to protect workers first.

NY HERO worker health and safety committees are a groundbreaking tool to organize workplaces and give workers a voice on the job. But companies like Meredith Corp, Chipotle, and others have failed to respond to workers and instead have retaliated against workers who filed requests to form committees. In addition, the Department of Labor had no power to enforce the law. Now with a new amendment, the law provides enforcement including penalties if companies fail to comply. Now NY HERO safety committees are a powerful tool for workers to raise their voice towards healthy workplaces.

The 2023 legislative session has officially begun and ALIGN is prioritizing the wellbeing of working people and the planet. We posted our New Year’s resolutions on ALIGN’s Instagram last week, summing up our bold progressive vision for 2023:

• Build a movement to raise the minimum wage to at least $20 with the Raise Up NY coalition.
• We launched with NY Renews to win funding for New York’s climate law while creating green, career jobs with the Climate, Jobs, and Justice Package.
• Hold corporations accountable and win more protections for warehouse workers with the New Yorkers for a Fair Economy coalition. 
• Build a climate and jobs movement with the Climate Works for All coalition and make New York City a climate leader by equitably reducing building emissions and upgrading our public schools with green infrastructure.
• Cut greenhouse gas emissions produced by government-run buildings and create union jobs with the #UpgradeNY coalition.
• Continue growing our collective power with our long-standing coalitions of labor and community.

You can make it one of your resolutions to fight for a just and equitable New York by donating to ALIGN so we can continue building coalitions fighting for economic, climate, and racial justice.

We seek a talented and dedicated person to join our team as Operations Manager to support the New York community‐labor movement for social and economic justice. 

The Operations Manager is a full-time position with health, retirement, vacation, and other benefits. The starting pay for this position is between $65,000–70,000 annually, dependent on experience. 

Learn more at: alignny.org/careers

“Across the country, people are fed up with the skyrocketing cost of living and deteriorating working conditions, while mega corporations shamelessly rake in profits,” said Executive Director Maritza Silva-Farrell on Spectrum 1 on the historic warehouse law being signed by Governor Hochul.

What’s ahead to 2023? Maritza Silva-Farrell says it’s another big year for workers, corporate accountability, and green jobs on Gotham Gazette. 

“The polling shows off-the-charts, 80% support for a $20+ minimum wage in New York – including 65% of Republicans, and super-high majorities across upstate and Long Island,” said Tal Frieden, our coalition coordinator for the Raise Up NY coalition on ABC News 10.

In response to the State of the State, Maritza Silva-Farrell discusses Governor Hochul’s promising comments on indexing the minimum wage on New York Now.

Teamsters Joint Council 16 - Teamsters cheered on Governor Kathy Hochul vetoing legislation that would allow developers to destroy a popular park in Freeport, Long Island, and build an Amazon-style ecommerce distribution center on the site.

NYC Central Labor Council - The MTA wants to reduce subway service on Mondays and Fridays because wealthier suburban commuters are not coming into their Manhattan offices on those days. Join the Transit Workers Union to stop subway service cuts that will hurt blue-collar, essential, front-line and immigrant workers.

NYC Environmental Justice Alliance - Local Law 16 (Renewable Rikers Act) requires NYC to transform Rikers into a hub for renewable power. But Mayor Adams is trying to walk back that promise! Remind Eric Adams that New Yorkers deserve a bright future.

Make the Road NY - Carlos Juca Jaramillo, Make the Road member, is calling on NYS Legislators to protect tenants and pass Good Cause legislation in a powerful op-ed for the New York Daily News .

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