THE EXCLUDED WORKERS FUND On Friday, April 2nd, Faith leaders from across New York State held a multi-lingual service with religious teachings supporting the Excluded Workers Fund. Faith leaders in attendance included Rev. Joe Paparone and Pastor Amaury Tañón Santos.
There is good news to share about the excluded workers coalition! After weeks of hunger strikes from impacted leaders across New York State and a year of organizing and building the coalition, the measure was finally passed. $2.1B will be allocated to the excluded worker fund. This is a huge victory. It is a good day to sing out, "The workers united will never be defeated!" When we organize, we win
In the midst of this win, however, we can still hold fast to our moral fusion analysis and remain clear and connected to our deeply held democratic values which include: housing, healthcare, and human rights for all. The fund's initial demand for $3.5B ended up being cut down to $2.1B, the application process is not as flexible as originally intended, and in the final hour relief for recently incarcerated workers was removed. We can celebrate this win while holding in our hearts the belief that we must continue to work, struggle and organize until it's Everybody In, Nobody Out. Today we celebrate and thank the Excluded Workers Coalition for leading the way, and tomorrow we must once again be a great chorus lifting up our voices for the rights and dignity of all workers across New York State.
We are deeply grateful for the work that is underway in our community. Thank you for building this beloved movement with us and for supporting our work. Next month we are looking forward to sharing the voices of student organizers from across the state! Lots of new leaders are emerging; this is the heart and life of the movement. Thank you for making this emergence possible.
MORAL VOICES WITH THE PPC
On Monday, March 15th, religious and labor rights leaders from The New York State Poor People's Campaign: A National Call For Moral Revival and Labor Religion Coalition delivered a series of demands to the New York State capitol. It was an extremely cold day in Albany, but we remained determined to lift our voices. We arrived bundled up, carrying banners, posters, megaphones, and our demand for human rights. This was a part of a synchronized national day of action, organizers and activists from across the country journeyed to state capitols demanding Covid Relief, Voting Rights, and A Moral Justice Jubilee. We were a chorus. We were a band singing in harmony, "Housing and Healthcare for All!", "Economic and Racial Justice For All!"
Below is a statement shared at the action by Rev. Roxanne Booth:
"The Jubilee Platform of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival seeks justice for the poor and demands that our elected officials seek good and not evil. I support the ideals of the Poor People’s Campaign because, as the Pastor of a poor working-class people, I recognize the month-in and month-out struggle of working two or three low-wage jobs to pay the rent and keep food on the table and clothes on the backs of the children. The working poor work and pay taxes, but are unjustly suffering. This suffering is needless when policies can and should be enacted to:
Raise the minimum wage;
Guarantee Healthcare;
Provide quality and affordable housing and even expand public and social housing;
Protect and expand Voting Rights and Civil Rights
It is a Human Right that we may live! Amos declared- “Seek good, not evil, that you may live!” Everybody has a right to live!
We are here today to bring attention to the fact that this state is capable of righting the injustices that have gone on far too long -- injustices toward poor and low-income people. We have a moral obligation to lift each other up and that begins with enacting NY State policy changes that ALL people may live!'