Coalition representing more than 1.75 million workers and 3.5 million small businesses join in letter calling for NY legislature to pass 21st Century Antitrust Act
ALBANY, NY (May 6, 2022) – Today, the New Yorkers for a Fair Economy coalition released a letter signed by more than 70 labor unions, small business associations, and advocacy groups, urging the New York State Legislature to take action on the 21st Century Antitrust Act. The groups represent more than 1.75 million workers and 3.5 million small businesses.
The bill would combat corporate abuses and level the playing field for businesses, workers, and consumers. With inflation soaring and monopolies using their market power to unfairly increase prices, New Yorkers need corporate accountability now. The letter is part of an escalated push to pass the legislation this month.
As the memo outlines, “The Twenty-First Century Antitrust Act would provide workers and small businesses with significant new protections, putting New York at the vanguard of the national push to ensure that dominant corporations can’t use their power to unfairly drive down wages or block competitors from accessing markets…By passing this legislation, the New York legislature would reaffirm that the goal of antitrust laws is to prevent the abuse of power by monopolies, stop anti-competitive conduct, and keep labor markets open and fair.
“There is national momentum behind reforming and updating antitrust law to deal with the challenges presented by today’s monopolists. Passing the Twenty-First Century Antitrust Act would be a major step forward in that fight.”
About New Yorkers for a Fair Economy
New Yorkers for a Fair Economy (NYFE) is a coalition of labor organizations, small businesses, and immigrant and community organizations uniting to safeguard our communities from abusive practices of big corporations and achieve an economy that works for all New Yorkers. This coalition includes the frontline workers who care and provide for our communities, the small businesses that provide essential services that we need, the community organizations that protect the environment and the dignity of Black, brown, immigrant and gender-oppressed communities that make up our diverse state. NYFE is led by ALIGN (Alliance for a Greater New York) and includes labor unions Teamsters Joint Council 16, Retail Wholesale, and Department Store Union, UAW Region 9A; community groups New York Communities for Change, Make the Road New York, and Restaurant Opportunities Center New York; and national research and advocacy organizations Institute for Local Self Reliance, American Economic Liberties Project, and Strategic Organizing Center.
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