Impact

In This Section

ALIGN is building a labor, climate, and community movement for a greater New York. We know our problems are connected: the cost of living is high, our public health and climate crises continue to worsen, and corporate greed runs rampant. Since our founding in 2012, we have been a cornerstone in New York’s progressive movement by winning legislative policies, building long standing alliances, and shaping public discourse. Here’s how we win: 

Winning Precedent-Setting Policies: ALIGN strives to achieve victories at a large scale, making a significant impact for low-wage workers and communities of color and winning precedent-setting standards. Learn more about our current campaigns. 

Building Long-Standing Alliances: Our organization works at the intersection of economic and climate justice, building coalitions with those most impacted, uplifting worker and community voices, challenging corporate power, and finding common ground among disparate groups. 

Shaping public debate: Using traditional and digital media, ALIGN raises the issues affecting working class New Yorkers and fights for transformative solutions. Our coalitions also produce research reports and memos to inform our advocacy. 

ALIGN Wins by the Numbers

1,100,000 New Yorkers will earn an extra $670 in their pockets every year because of Raise Up NY’s successful fight to raise the minimum wage in 2023.

2 of the biggest and most predatory corporations, Amazon and Walmart, kept out of NYC. We saved New York $3 billion in taxpayer subsidies that would’ve gone to Amazon, one of the richest companies in the world. 

26,700 green jobs to be created to cut emissions from 50,000 buildings in NYC with NYC’s Dirty Buildings Law, Local Law 97, the nation’s most aggressive city-level emissions reduction law in the country. 

18,000,000+ fewer driving miles per year due to Commercial Waste Zone reforms, giving 2,600 workers across 90 companies safer working conditions. This means more efficient routes, safer streets, and less pollution for New Yorkers. 

4,200,000+ private sector workers in New York protected from COVID and future pandemics with the infectious disease standards of the NY HERO Act. 

2 game changing laws protecting tens of thousands of Amazon warehouse workers from dangerous quotas, injury-inducing ergonomics, and unjust firings.

$75 billion for repair, resilience and protection programs with the Climate Change Superfund Act. 

Timeline of our Victories:

2024

  • Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Act – After winning the Warehouse Worker Protection Act in 2022, our New Yorkers For a Fair Economy coalition won another powerful set of tools that will ensure warehouses are designed to protect workers first, requiring employers to implement injury reduction plans to identify and minimize hazards and undergo annual evaluations by safety experts.  
  • Climate Change Superfund Act – ALIGN supported NYPIRG and NY Renews in winning the Climate Change Superfund Act, which will make corporate polluters pay for tens of billions of dollars in infrastructure we need to transition to a healthier, more sustainable green economy. 
  • NYC’s Public Solar Law, Local Law 99 – Local Law 99, championed by Councilmember Sandy Nurse, which requires solar power installation on NYC’s public buildings. 70% of NYC’s emissions come from buildings, so this law will be key in moving New Yorkers toward a healthy, renewable economy. 
  • Local Minimum Wage Campaigns – Workers in Tompkins County can’t afford to wait for Albany to fix the cost-of-living crisis happening across New York, especially upstate. With support from our Raise Up NY coalition, Tompkins County legislators took matters into their own hands and passed a resolution to explore raising the local minimum wage.

2023 

  • A Higher Minimum Wage in New York – After a hard-fought campaign by our Raise Up NY coalition, Governor Hochul and NYS leadership approved an increase to the minimum wage—$17 downstate and $16 upstate by 2026, then annual increases for inflation. In the face of skyrocketing cost of living, these increases will help lessen the economic burden on New York’s working families.
  • Build Public Renewables Act – This first-in-the-nation bill will be a national model for building publicly-owned renewable energy tied to strong labor standards.
  • Climate and Community Protection Fund –  This fund will provide financial support for New Yorkers struggling with utility bills, money for improving state infrastructure and public transit, game-changing labor standards, and clean energy job training and support for impacted workers.

2022

  • Warehouse Worker Protection Act – The New Yorkers for a Fair Economy coalition, won this new law to bring transparency to exploitative productivity quotas in the warehouse industry.
  • Won $4 billion to electrify NYC public schools and create green career jobs – ALIGN’s Green, Healthy Schools report became a blueprint for a new city program to electrify public schools when Mayor Eric Adams announced a historic investment: $4 billion to fight the climate crisis by making all new schools 100% electric, creating healthier learning environments and prioritizing Environmental Justice communities. 
  • Utility Thermal Energy Network and Jobs Act – This law will help decarbonize New York’s dirtiest buildings and create family-sustaining, union jobs in the energy sector.
  • NY HERO Act Amendment – Following the win of NY HERO Act in 2021, ALIGN won an amendment to the law that will penalize employers for retaliation and ensure that workers and employers collaborate on creating healthy workplaces. 

2021

  • NY HERO Act- The NY Essential Workers Coalition won this first-in-the-nation airborne infectious disease standard, which ensures that workers are safe and protected on the job during public health crises. In addition, the law empowers private sector workers to create health and safety workplace committees so workers have a stronger voice on the job. 
  • Green, Healthy Schools Report – The Climate Works for All coalition released this report to lay out a vision for greener, healthier schools prioritizing upgrades to schools’ HVAC air control systems. Green, Healthy Schools also means the installation of solar panels in public schools to make progress toward reducing pollution and energy usage in buildings.
  • Amendment to Weaken Dirty Buildings Law Defeated – Climate Works for All coalition successfully mobilized against a real-estate backed budget provision that would have undermined New York City’s landmark climate law.
  • Excluded Worker Fund – ALIGN and the Fund Excluded Workers coalition won the first-in-the nation-Excluded Worker Fund: $2.1 Billion to provide direct cash assistance to workers ineligible for state unemployment benefits or federal COVID-related income relief.

2019 

  • Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act – Also known as New York’s ‘Climate Law’, this law mandates zero emissions by 2050, 70% carbon-free electricity by 2030, and 100% of electricity from renewable sources by 2040, prioritizing Black, brown, and low-income communities. 
  • Commercial Waste Zones – Commercial Waste Zones provides a necessary pathway from the current chaotic race-to-the-bottom commercial waste system to a more efficient zoned system that will reduce pollution, improve worker standards, and ensure safer streets. 
  • Local Law 97 – In 2019, New York City enacted Local Law 97 to drive deep emissions cuts from buildings, which are responsible for more than two-thirds of NYC’s greenhouse gas emissions. The law places carbon caps on most buildings larger than 25,000 square feet—covering nearly 50,000 properties across NYC.
  • Amazon HQ2 Defeat – With a large coalition of labor, community, and grassroots organizations, we defeated Amazon’s push to win a $3 billion economic development deal for a new corporate headquarters in Long Island City, Queens. 

2012 – 2018

  • High Labor Standards for Solar Installation: Climate Works for All coalition won a commitment for strong labor standards as New York City installs solar panels on public buildings, as well as a process for prioritizing installation in neighborhoods most impacted by climate change. (June 2018) 
  • City Study of New Tool for More Just Housing Development: ALIGN wins a “floor area affordability bonus” policy, which allows builders more density for new developments in rezoned areas and, in exchange, developers have to provide more below-market-rate, deeply affordable housing and commit to strong labor standards such as local hiring, apprenticeship programs and a prevailing wage for construction work. (March 2016)
  • Winning the City’s 80 x 50 Climate Goal: ALIGN helped develop the People’s Climate March policy agenda for New York City that led to the City’s goal of 80% carbon reduction by 2050. The 80×50 plan will create 3,500 new construction jobs and train 7,800 workers in energy efficiency and renewable energy; improve the sustainability of city-owned building through energy efficiency retrofits, solar, improved operations and “carbon-zero” new construction; create a citywide plan for Bus Rapid Transit; and develop a Green Jobs Corps for unemployed people. (September 2014)
  • Winning a Walmart Free NYC:  The Walmart Free NYC coalition successfully stopped the development of Walmart in East New York, and instead pushed for a progressive agenda of expanding economic opportunities, preserving local businesses, raising workplace standards, and bringing the best employment and grocery options to the most underserved areas of the city. Due to their success, a union ShopRite store was developed instead. (September 2012)