The Strong Economy for All Coalition will press for public and private policies to benefit working, middle-class and low-income New Yorkers, including job creation, fair taxation, effective government services, consumer protections in foreclosures and financial services and improved wages and healthcare.
State, city, and local budget proposals across New York include severe cuts to the public institutions our families and our neighborhoods need to survive: schools, community colleges, firehouses, libraries, and a range of essential human services including senior centers, supportive housing and homeless services, child care and more.
But there’s a real alternative to severe cuts and dramatic job losses. At a time when the financial sector is booming and millionaires and billionaires are making more than ever, our Coalition in demanding that we eliminate unaffordable subsidies and ensure fair-share tax policies that could keep public institutions strong and stop mass layoffs.
We are made up of some of New York’s most engaged and effective unions and community organizations:
1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East
Representing more than 300,000 members and retirees in New York, Maryland, the District of Columbia and Massachusetts, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest Local union in the world.
We are a Union of healthcare workers. We work in the homecare, hospital and nursing home industries, as well as pharmacies, freestanding clinics and other healthcare settings. We care for the sick, the infirm, the elderly. Ours is noble work. We are dedicated to our patients, our members and our families.
The mission of our Union is to improve and expand quality patient care, to protect and improve the lives of our members and our families, and to work in solidarity with working people in our communities and around the world.
In 1998, we affiliated to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) which is, with 1.8 million healthcare and building service workers and public employees, the largest labor Union in North America.
Since that time, some 15 SEIU healthcare Locals throughout New York State, the District of Columbia, Maryland and Massachusetts have merged with 1199 and today are part of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East.
Coalition for the Homeless
Coalition for the Homeless is the nation's oldest advocacy and direct service organization helping homeless men, women, and children. We are dedicated to the principle that affordable housing, sufficient food, and the chance to work for a living wage are fundamental rights in a civilized society. Since our inception in 1981, the Coalition has worked through litigation, public education, and direct services to ensure that these goals are realized.
UFT United Federation of Teachers
The UFT represents approximately 200,000 members and is the sole bargaining agent for most of the non-supervisory educators who work in the New York City public schools. We represent approximately 87,000 teachers and 19,000 classroom paraprofessionals, along with school secretaries, attendance teachers, guidance counselors, psychologists, social workers, adult education teachers, administrative law judges, nurses, laboratory technicians, speech therapists, and 53,000 retired members. We also represent teachers and other employees of a number of and private educational institutions and some charter schools.
The allied Federation of Nurses/UFT represents some 2,800 registered nurses of the New York City Visiting Nurse Service and several private New York City hospitals and health care institutions.
Over 28,000 New York City family child care providers became the UFT’s newest members after a successful organizing drive that gained collective-bargaining rights in 2007. Their first contract was ratified in 2010.
Citizen Action
Citizen Action of New York is a statewide grassroots membership organization that works for economic, racial and social justice. Our power comes from the grassroots: people coming together to push the edge of the possible. We take on big issues that are at the center of transforming American society – issues like: quality education for all our kids; guaranteed quality, affordable health care; voter-owned elections with public financing; a more progressive tax system. We also work to elect progressive candidates to office who are committed to these issues.
Citizen Action of New York has eight chapters and affiliates across New York State. Each is a vibrant local organization with local leadership, paid professional organizing staff, a local agenda and an active, diverse membership. Citizen Action is also the New York State affiliate of USAction, which brings together citizen organizations from around the country to form a strong national progressive voice.
Alliance for Quality Education
Founded only in 2000, the Alliance for Quality Education (AQE) has quickly become New York state’s leading community-based organization in the fight for high quality public education. A statewide non-profit, AQE unites a coalition of over 230 organizations of parents, children’s advocates, schools, teachers, clergy, and others.
AQE believes it will take fair funding and smarter spending to support better schools and give every child in New York State a quality education from pre-K to high school graduation. Truly statewide, AQE has active community-based education coalitions in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, the Capital District (Albany), New York City and Long Island.
Working with all stakeholders, but emphasizing the involvement of parents and youth, AQE combines leadership development, community organizing, electronic activism, extensive media relations, policy work, and lobbying within a cohesive campaign for fundamental education reform. This recipe has successfully made adequate funding to create quality schools for every child a high profile issue throughout the state.
New York State AFL-CIO
The New York State AFL-CIO has a rich and proud history, which is deeply embedded in labor's continuous struggle for dignity and economic and social justice.
New York State has always been the largest and strongest of any state labor movement and, with its current 2.3 million members, remains so today. Victories won by the labor movement in New York State were the first of their kind in the nation and often became models for federal legislation as well as for other states.
From the very beginning, organized labor, acting through the state federations, was the champion not only of labor's right to organize and bargain collectively but of improving the working conditions and daily lives of all New Yorkers. It also fought for safe and healthy workplaces, a fair and equitable workers' compensation system and disability benefits, unemployment insurance, minimum wages, an end to child labor, and job-related training to mention a few.
Furthermore, the state federation served as the voice of labor in public policy determination on issues affecting all citizens-education, housing, transportation, taxation, and the role of government in strengthening the State's economy.
New York Communities for Change
New York Communities for Change is a coalition of working families in low and moderate income communities fighting for social and economic justice throughout New York State. By using direct action, legislative advocacy, and community organizing, NY Communities' members work to impact the political and economic policies that directly affect us. Through neighborhood chapters and issue-based committees, we are working to ensure that every family throughout New York has access to quality schools, affordable housing, and good jobs. It is through the power-in-numbers approach that NY Communities is able to win REAL change for our towns and neighborhoods.
32BJ SEIU
With more than 120,000 members in eight states and Washington, DC, 32BJ is the largest property service workers union in the country. 32BJ is affiliated with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), an organization of over 2 million members united by a belief in the dignity and worth of workers and the services they provide. To raise industry standards and improve lives, SEIU and 32BJ focuses its resources on organizing new members into the union.
We are security officers; doormen, porters, and maintenance workers; bus drivers and aides; window cleaners and food service workers.
We work in residential buildings, commercial offices, airports, university and college campuses, public schools, theaters, museums arenas and stadiums.
As part of SEIU Justice for Janitors, Stand for Security and Multi Service Workers campaigns, 32BJ helps property service workers lift themselves out of poverty and into the middle class by wining livable wages and meaningful benefits, including healthcare, paid sick days and job protection.
We come from 64 different countries and speak 28 different languages, but are united in a single fight for fairness and decency. Our members are a diverse coalition of hard working immigrant and native born individuals coming together in pursuit of the American Dream.
New York City Central Labor Council
The New York City Central Labor Council (NYCCLC) is a non-profit labor membership organization devoted to supporting, advancing and advocating for the working people of New York City. The NYCCLC brings together 400 local unions from every trade, occupation, public and private sector of the New York economy. We represent 1.3 million workers, including teachers, truck drivers, operating engineers, nurses, construction workers, electricians, firefighters, retail workers, janitors, train operators, bakers, and many more who are the face of today's workforce.
Our mission is to improve the lives of workers, their families, and our communities, and to bring economic justice to the workplace and social justice to our city.
To accomplish this mission the NYCCLC works to build worker power through political education and action, supporting economic development in New York City, being an active partner with business and government leaders, organizing workers who choose to be in a union, providing community service and job training, and conducting educational programs for working people.
NYSUT New York State United Teachers
NYSUT is more than 600,000 people who work in, or are retired from, New York's schools, colleges, and healthcare facilities. We are classroom teachers, college and university faculty and professional staff, school bus drivers, custodians, secretaries, cafeteria workers, teacher assistants and aides, nurses and healthcare technicians.
NYSUT is a federation of more than 1,200 local unions, each representing its own members. We are affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA). We are also part of organized labor - the AFL-CIO - and of Education International, with more than 20 million members world wide.
We range in size from tiny locals of fewer than 10 members to the United Federation of Teachers, which represents more than 140,000 teachers and other school employees in New York City.
We are dedicated to improving not only our working conditions, but also our professions. We're united in a common commitment to improve the quality of education and healthcare for the people of New York.
Make the Road New York
Make the Road New York* promotes economic justice, equity and opportunity for all New Yorkers through community and electoral organizing, strategic policy advocacy, leadership development, youth and adult education, and high quality legal and support services.
CWA Communication Workers of America
CWA, the largest telecommunications union in the world, represents over 700,000 men and women in both private and public sectors, including over half a million workers who are building the Information Highway.
CWA members work in telecommunications, broadcasting, cable TV, journalism, publishing, manufacturing, airlines, customer service, government service, health care, education and other fields.
Municipal Labor Committee
The Municipal Labor Committee is an umbrella group representing 99 unions covering more than 300,000 New York City employees. Steering committee members include Harry Nespoli, MLC chairman and president of the Uniformed Sanitationmen's Association; Lillian Roberts, MLC co-chair and executive director of District Council 37 - AFSCME; and Michael Mulgrew, MLC executive vice chair and president of the United Federation of Teachers.