Seasons greetings from the Labor-Religion Coalition of New York State! This year has flown by, and as 2024 rapidly approaches, we hope you’re able to find time to relax, recover, and be with loved ones before the end of the year. This newsletter, the final LRC newsletter for 2023, is in many ways a reflection of the work LRC did throughout this past year; below, you’ll find a recap of a recent campaign launch we attended, a petition demanding safe patient care and fair contracts for nurses in New York State, and an update to our 2023 highlights.
But before that, I wanted to once again ask you to consider making a gift to the Labor-Religion Coalition. When we launched our End of Year fundraising campaign just a few weeks ago, I mentioned facing a major funding setback earlier this year. This loss of funding has the potential to greatly impact LRC’s ability to continue our critical work in the coming year; without it, we’ll be forced to reduce the amount of work we’re doing to eradicate poverty and combat the rise of White Christian nationalism in New York State.
That’s why, today, I’m asking you to make a gift to the Labor-Religion Coalition to help us continue our fight in 2024. We remain committed to advocating for the policies and resources New York’s most marginalized communities so desperately need, and hope that together, we can overcome this setback and continue our work for racial, social, and economic justice in New York State. Without your support, none of this work would be possible.
In solidarity,
Rev. West McNeill
Executive Director
LRC’s 2023 Highlights!
When we launched our end of year fundraising campaign last month, we also released our 2023 highlights! There was no way, though, that we could possibly fit all of the work we did this past year into one document, so we’ve decided to share a few more here.
One of the biggest ways we expanded our work this year was by growing LRC’s digital presence. Thanks to our Digital Communications Organizer, we were not only able to share more on social media, but also grow the LRC blog into a place where our community members can learn more about some of the issues we care deeply about (like the Rochester Nurses’ Union strike) and the campaigns and events we’re working on (like the 2023 NYSPPC People’s Assembly). You can check out our latest posts here.
Our work also got a fair bit of press coverage this past year, and we wanted to share a few highlights from that work as well! Below are a selection of LRC media clips from 2023:
In January, follow the release of the Poor People’s State of the State Report, the New York State Poor People’s Campaign held it’s annual Poor People’s State of the State event, highlighting New York’s status as the most unequal state in the nation.
In April, the Labor-Religion Coalition joined with faith leaders and healthcare workers from across New York State to push back on Governor Hochul’s proposed cuts to Medicaid and a federal drug pricing program that many vulnerable New Yorkers rely on.
Just this week, the New York State Poor People’s Campaign was profiled for their use of movement music in organizing.
And as a bonus: in the final days on 2022, Rev. West McNeill, LRC Executive Director, and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, Director of the Kairos Center and Co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, published an op-ed positing that any attempt to end poverty in our state demands that we also reframe the way we look at wealth and New York’s uber-wealthy.
Invest in Our New York Launches 2024 Campaign with Rally in New York City!
Earlier this week, the Labor-Religion Coalition joined with Invest in Our New York, and advocates and allies from across the state at a rally in New York City to launch their 2024 campaign. This year, the campaign will continue to call for growing our state's existing public services and programs, and investing in new public goods, including making deep and lasting investments in housing, climate crisis mitigation, and strengthening our social safety net. In order to do so, the campaign proposes that the state raise taxes on the top 5% of New Yorkers and the most profitable corporations in New York. To learn more about the rally, check out our latest blog post here.
To learn more about the Invest in Our New York Campaign, visit their website.
Support the New York State Nurse's Association in the Campaign Against Ellis Medicine
Once again, we're passing along the following message from our friends at the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), who continue their fight for safe patient care and fair contracts for nurses. Please consider signing the petition below!
Ellis Medicine says they invest in nurses, but their actions tell a different story.
From trying to cut safe nurse staffing, to cutting healthcare services, to suing patients over medical bills, to paying several executives over half a million a year, find out the FACTS about Ellis Medicine.
Nurses have had enough. We are fighting for our community hospital and our patients. Add your name to demand that Ellis Medicine invest in safe patient care, invest in nurses, and negotiate a fair contract NOW.
You can learn more about NYSNA's campaign at Ellis Medicine here.
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