In this Newsletter:

Participatory budgeting increases democracy by letting the community decide where money goes; check if your district is participating!
Columbia students have been on strike since Nov 8th and a Staten Island Amazon warehouse has refiled for a union vote
The New York State Homeowner Assistance Fund begins accepting applications Jan 3rd; remember to prepare necessary documents in advance!

What’s Participatory Budgeting?

Participatory budgeting increases democracy by allowing community members to directly allocate funds. City council members put aside part of their discretionary funds for the initiative and community members ideate and vote on which projects they want to see

An NYU study shows after the implementation of participatory budgeting, more money is allocated towards schools, public housing, and street improvements while less is put towards parks and rec projects and housing development

The NYC program, which started in 2011, was put on hold due to COVID-19, and though 33 council members participated in 2019, only 10 districts will participate this year (Districts 1, 12, 13, 14, 22, 28, 34, 38, 39, and 40). During this cycle, the ideation period is from 11/08 to 1/23 while voting takes place from 4/17 to 4/22.

Regardless of whether your district is participating, you can submit your idea here! You can view, comment, and support ideas on a map here!

Spotlight: Labor Activity in NYC

Labor activity has been very prominent this year and many have deemed October “Striketober,” with more than 100,000 people active in strikes during the month

Columbia University

Student Workers of Columbia–United Auto Workers (SWC–UAW) Local 211 have been on indefinite strike since Nov 3rd and represent the largest labor action in the US right now. At Columbia, a university with a $14.4bn endowment, many doctorate students make below $30k a year

Call to action → Donate to the Student Workers of Columbia’s fund here Follow their Twitter here

Demands:

Living wage
Increased health benefits
Third-party arbitration in cases of harassment and discrimination
Full union recognition, including Master’s and Undergraduates working as teaching assistants

Event → Attend their Rally for Recognition on Zoom today at 1pm! Sign up and find out more here

What’s happened so far:

SWC–UAW held a strike earlier this year but rejected the proposed contract
Columbia hired Proskauer Rose, a prominent union-busting firm
Columbia announced those who did not return to work by December 10th would be replaced
On Dec. 22nd, the university announced its “best and final offer” which has not been accepted by SWC-UAW as it excludes many part-time workers who have also been on strike

Call to action → Are you associated with Columbia University? Sign the petition to extend protection to hourly workers here

Labor fun fact → The United Auto Workers union began with auto workers but has since expanded to include many industries including other manufacturing sectors, office workers, retail, healthcare, non-profit and more! The first group of graduate students to unionize were UC grad students in 2008

Amazon Warehouse JFK8

JFK8, a Staten Island Amazon warehouse, has refiled for a union election. They aim to create the Amazon Labor Union

Call to action → Donate to the Amazon Labor Union Solidarity Fund here. Follow their Twitter here

Demands:

Pay raises
Increases in paid time off and an end to the unpaid time off system
Right to employee advocacy
Other policies such as increased COVID protections, less mandatory overtime, building closures during hazardous weather, and more

What’s happened so far:

ALU originally filed in October as three Staten Island warehouses with over 2000 signatures but needed more
They shifted focus towards unionizing one warehouse, JFK8, where there are over 5000 employees
ALU staged a walkout on Dec 22nd to protest Amazon’s “illegal interference in union organizing activities, such as coercive captive audience meetings and the unfair firing of Daequan Smith”
They refiled on the 22nd with more signatures

On the Upside!

Amazon settlement with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) requires them to inform all employees of their labor organizing rights and refrain from threatening/calling police on workers congregating in non-work areas during non-work time
- The NLRB also granted another vote at the Alabama Amazon warehouse due to breaches of labor laws by Amazon
Los Angeles has approved a pilot participatory budgeting program
City Council has passed a measure requiring all employers to post the salary minimum and maximum for a position starting April 2022
NYC passed a measure allowing 800,000 legal residents who are noncitizens to vote in local elections

Resource of the Week: New York State Homeowner Assistance Fund

The New York State Homeowner Assistance Fund (NYS HAF) is a federally funded program to assist homeowners who are at risk of default, foreclosure, or displacement due to financial difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic

NYS HAF applications open Jan 3rd and “expects to receive more applications than can be funded and applications will be processed in the order received.”

How to Apply:

Answer questions to determine program eligibility
→ Requirements include being 30 or more days behind on a payment and having a household income at or below 100% of the area median
If eligible, register for an account
Must verify ownership, identity, and income for all adults in the household
→ You may be able to verify and confirm these automatically (without providing a scanned document) if you provide your address, social security number, and birthday
→ We recommend having document proof ready regardless in case any problems arise. List of documents accepted here
Provide proof of delinquency, which includes being 30 or more days behind on a mortgage, manufactured home load, a rent-to-own contract, coop or condo charges, reverse mortgage, or property taxes, including sewer and water bills
→ Each case requires a specific document which you can find here

MANYC Self Promo

Request Help by:

Going to the I Need Help page
Searching for a local group
Searching for a resource
Calling the hotline at: 646-437-8080

Help by:

Submitting a resource
Getting involved
Donating to Home is a Human Right
Donating to a local mutual aid group

Other links:

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Participatory Budgeting, Labor Action, and…