The Newsletter for the Movement for Economic, Climate, and Racial Justice
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Earth Day is a call to action. Working class New Yorkers are staring down an affordability and environmental crisis, both constructed and maintained by the corporations that raise costs and pollute our air to fill the pockets of the wealthiest few. We won’t stand for it. Working class movements are fighting back and coalescing around an agenda weaving together climate and affordability solutions, and ALIGN is at the center of that movement. From greening our schools to transforming our dangerous private waste system, we are waging campaigns that are building common ground for a stronger, more unified movement in service of working New Yorkers. With Governor Hochul’s Trumpian move to weaken New York’s Climate Law, it’s up to our mass movement to protect our public health and energy affordability. It’s the People’s Earth, and we’re still here to fight for it.
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Common Ground Conference: Building Labor and Climate Solidarity
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ALIGN held the very first Common Ground Conference to strengthen our partnerships between organized labor and community organizations. We were joined by over 50 groups, including community, Environmental Justice, labor, and workforce development organizations. For decades, workers and communities have been joining forces to strengthen the alliance between labor and climate movements. This conference built on those partnerships and held space for thoughtful and open discussions about how to overcome ongoing challenges in growing the labor and climate movement.
At the conference, we held panels and talks on issues related to Environmental Justice, labor, and workforce development. We raised key success stories in building labor and climate partnerships, including passing our Dirty Buildings law, Local Law 97, and reforming the private waste system with our community, labor, and climate coalition Transform Don’t Trash. These conversations are especially key as Governor Hochul is attempting to gut New York’s climate law, which was fought for and won by a broad set of labor and climate organizations. The conference brought us one step closer to advancing our shared interests: workplaces where we are treated with respect, communities that are sustainable and resilient, and a New York that is affordable, safe, and healthy for all.
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The Growing Movement for a $30 Minimum Wage
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The Raise Up NY coalition mobilized to our NYC council members offices in downtown Manhattan to talk about our fight to raise the minimum wage to $30 by 2030! Last month, we launched a historic campaign with labor unions, community groups, and elected officials to fight for the highest minimum wage in the country. The current minimum wage, $17, is simply not enough as the cost for rent, utilities, groceries are rising. Trader Joe’s worker Don Mark shared at the launch, “I’m forced to use my entire paycheck for my rent. We’re in a situation where many Trader Joe’s workers have to work multiple jobs.” At the lobby day, worker leaders from a variety of sectors held productive conversations with elected leaders and their staff, including Council members Hankerson, Shekar, Restler, Hanif, and De La Rosa. Afterwards, the coalition flyered outside of City Hall to spread the word about our fight for economic justice. If you are interested in getting involved in our fight for a wage New Yorkers deserve, contact the Raise Up NY coordinator Oriana Shulevitz Rosado at oriana@alignny.org.
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Unions and Community Groups Call for Delivery Protection Act
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We have the momentum to pass a bill that would fundamentally change the way Amazon and other e-commerce companies treat its workers and our community. For too long, Amazon has hidden behind third party subcontractors to avoid accountability for worker injuries and deaths, traffic crashes, and pollution. The Delivery Protection Act would make New York City the first municipality in the country to require big corporations like Amazon to directly employ their warehouse and delivery workers. This would be a groundbreaking change which would be a model for legislation protecting delivery and warehouse workers across the country. Ahead of this month’s bill hearing at City Hall, labor unions and community groups rallied with the Amazon Teamsters to call for the Mamdani-backed bill for a vote as we hit 32 co-sponsors in the City Council. You can support our campaign by sending a letter to your NYC council member to ensure that we pass this legislation this year.
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We stood with 32BJ building workers going on strike for fair pay, better healthcare, and strong pensions!
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ALIGN’s Economic Justice Campaign manager Oriana Shulevitz Rosado talks about the $30 minimum wage fight on BronxNet.
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ALIGN ran mobile truck ads outside the Capitol featuring Governor Hochul in a “Make Fossil Fuels Great Again” hat with the message “Don’t Pull a Trump. Protect Our Climate Law.”
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Students, teachers, parents, and community members are mailing hundreds of postcards on Earth Week calling on Mayor Mamdani to invest in Green Healthy Schools.
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