Climate Jobs NY Update: #ICYMI City Council Hearing on Workers’ Rights Features Testimony on Investing in Schools

Representatives of the Carbon Free and Healthy Schools campaign testified at the Feb. 23 Civil Service and Labor Committee hearing on how to strengthen workers rights in New York City, discussing working conditions in schools and the urgent need to invest in retrofits to make NYC Schools Carbon-Free and Healthy by 2030.

"When buildings are this old, school cleaners have to put in double the amount of effort to do our job," said Angel Ocasio, 32BJ SEIU member and NYC public-school parent. Ocasio emphasized that just this past October, over 250 workers had to stay overnight at school buildings to protect them from flooding due to crumbling infrastructure. "Not all buildings have air conditioning, and it gets harder during hot summer days to do everything we have to do in the extreme heat. There are school buildings with windows over 40 years old, and many buildings have very poor energy efficiency ratings. Many roofs are also very old and whenever there is a heavy rainstorm, the roofs are leaking."

Read more of the testimony on schools in the AMNY article about the hearing – including how investing in Carbon-Free and Healthy Schools will create tens of thousands of good union jobs in NYC communities, decrease emissions, save schools millions in energy costs, and ensure safe and healthy school facilities, particularly in Black and Brown communities that have been historically underserved.