LOW-WAGE WORKERS RISING
ALIGN and members of our long-standing alliance have long fought for the rights of workers in the low-wage economy, where rapid automation is further eroding workers’ economic security. Despite extreme inequality, New York has always been a city that fights back — a city of labor, where workers organize to win victories at scale. Community organizations and labor unions have come together for major wins. For example, ALIGN played an important role in the Fight for 15, which won a guaranteed $15 wage for restaurant workers. We also helped win Fair Scheduling, requiring employers to let employees know their schedules two weeks in advance.
TRANSFORMING TRANSIT
ALIGN was part of bold campaigns to fix New York City’s public transportation system in ways that confront climate change and systemic inequality head-on. We advocated for ground-breaking policies such as the Fix NYC congestion pricing plan, which will generate $1.5 billion a year in revenue while reducing congestion and climate pollution. ALIGN also fought for policies to generate funds for transit and re-invest them in the communities where the need is greatest. Low-income New Yorkers must get a break: we’ve also endorsed the Fair Fares which would give adults at or below the federal poverty line discounted MetroCards.
REAL AFFORDABILITY FOR ALL
ALIGN joined the Real Affordability for All Coalition along with tenant associations, community organizations, faith groups, immigrant advocates, and others to urge the city to preserve and create real affordable housing, and to ensure that new affordable housing development creates good local jobs.
THE ALLIANCE FOR A JUST REBUILDING
The Alliance for a Just Rebuilding transformed the $850 million Build It Back initiative to repair and rebuild 10,000 homes destroyed by Hurricane Sandy into a program that links rebuilding and resiliency efforts with job training and career opportunities for the most disadvantaged people in NYC.