Education
Few issues strike home for working families as much as education for their children. To be equipped for life, every child needs and deserves high-quality education that is available to all—from early childhood through college. For schools to work, educators must have the support and resources they need to succeed and school buildings must be well-equipped and well-maintained. Our schools must serve all children, and comprehensive services and supports must be in place for students with the greatest needs. All students should have access to higher education and assistance paying for it so they are not barred from college or saddled with impossible debt when they leave.
Public schools and public school teachers have been under attack in recent years—from widespread efforts to shift public school funding to private school voucher programs, to attempts to privatize public schools, to moves by governors and state legislators to take bargaining rights from teachers and other school personnel. These attacks are designed to serve the 1 percent—CEOs who can profit from privatized systems and the wealthiest families—at the expense of the 99 percent of students who deserve the best.
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After ten long weeks on strike, in what became the largest labor action in the country, student workers at Columbia University have reached a tentative contract
On Monday, workers at New York City’s Jewish Museum including curators, art handlers, educators, and other employees petitioned the NLRB for a union election, seeking to join UAW Local 2110.
In Governor Hochul’s State of the State this week, she signaled important steps forward on climate action that creates good union jobs, including significant investment in the offshore wind supply chain, movement toward necessary transmission upgrades, and much-needed investments in schools.
The Association of Legal Aid Attorneys/UAW Local 2325 held a virtual rally on Wednesday to demand the New York State Office of Court Administration and Governor Hochul reinstitute virtual arraignments until the rates of COVID-19 positivity have subsided to lower levels.
"One year ago today, we watched in horror as a violent mob, many carrying banners proclaiming white supremacy and anti-government slogans, attempted to block the peaceful transfer of power by storming the U.S.
Community Boards are the most grassroots level of New York City’s government and serve an advisory role providing recommendations to the City Council and the Office of the Borough President and working with City agencies to resolve local service issues.
We have always known that reducing class size is integral to student achievement, teacher retention and equitable schools, but it’s now also become an issue of public health. We must learn from the pandemic and take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses in the future.
The Build Back Better agenda means trillions of dollars of investment in our jobs, families and communities.
As we look back on the past year, we're reflecting on the continuing challenges that the New York City labor movement has faced, but also on the significant ground we’ve gained and the enormous potential ahead of us.
Columbia student workers are still on strike in what is currently the largest such action in the country. Three thousand workers, including undergraduate and graduate teaching and research assistants at Columbia University, are now in the eighth week of their strike.