Citizens Action NY Justice Works Conference - June 4th and 5th

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On June 4th and 5th, hundreds of New Yorkers who fight for justice came together in Albany. Justice Works was a conference that brought together a cross section of progressive politics and activism in New York State. Bringing together people working on different issues, all going in different directions. But the fact is, we are all in this together, fighting for a society where we all do better, where government and the economy work for every person, not just the rich, and where justice is something shared by everyone, regardless of the color of our skin, our sexual orientation, our religious beliefs, where we live or how much money we make. Because Justice Works, we work for it, every day.

The keynote speaker at the event was Melissa V. Harris-Perry professor of political science at Tulane University, where she is founding director of the project on gender, race, and politics in the South.She is a columnist for The Nation magazine. Harris-Perry is a contributor to MSNBC, appearing as a bi-weekly guest on the Thomas Roberts Show and a frequent guest on the Rachel Maddow Show and The Last Word.

The other principal speaker was NYS Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. As Attorney General, Schneiderman is the highest ranking law enforcement officer for the State, responsible for representing New York and its residents in legal matters. Schneiderman has worked to restore the public’s faith in its public and private sector institutions, by focusing on areas including public integrity, economic justice, social justice and environmental protection.

Among the other speakers were Bob Master. Bertha Lewis, Stephen Allringer, Richard Kirsch, Richard McNary, Ana-Maria Archila, Dan Cantor and many others. For bios, click here.

The event was sponsored by Salsa Labs, Solidago Foundation, Public Policy and Education Fund of New York and Citizens Action of New York.

M.T.A. Broke Law With Layoffs, Judge Rules by Emily B. Hager - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com

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In the latest back-and-forth over the legality of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s layoffs of hundreds of subway station agents, a judge ruled Friday that the authority violated the law when it closed booths and laid off about 260 agents last month without holding public hearings.

But the judge, Saliann Scarpulla of State Supreme Court in Manhattan, did not rule on whether the authority must reopen closed booths or rehire laid-off workers, and the authority itself would not comment on whether it would, saying only that it intended to appeal the ruling and to immediately start the public-hearing process.

The authority plans to lay off more than 200 more station agents in July, as part of the effort to close a budget gap of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Justice Scarpulla ruled Friday that the authority had not followed New York Public Authorities Law 1205, which states that a “complete or partial closing of a passenger station” can occur “only after a public hearing,” provided it is not for emergency reasons or repairs.

The union representing station agents, Transit Workers Union Local 100, called the judge’s decision “a major victory for safety and security in our subways.”

The union and Acorn, a community organizing group, had sued to block the layoffs, arguing that eliminating station agents put the public at risk to acts of crime, terrorism and not having help in place in the case of a medical emergency.

“This a safety issue for us,” said Bertha Lewis, Acorn’s chief executive.

A spokesman for the authority, Aaron Donovan, said in a statement, “The M.T.A. is disappointed in today’s ruling that we cannot proceed with slated subway booth and kiosk closures without repeating the public hearing process.”

Last month, when the authority was about to lay off nearly 500 agents, another State Supreme Court justice issued a last-minute stay blocking the layoffs. A few days afterward, the authority moved ahead and laid off 260 agents who worked in customer-assistance booths rather than sales booths, saying that the customer-assistance agents were not covered by the stay.

Working Family Party Celebrates Ferreras Victory in 21st City Council District...

The Working Families Party congratulated today the historic victory of Queens City Council candidate Julissa Ferreras in the Special Election for the 21st City Council district.

The grassroots party played a major role in the victory, lending its staff to run Ferreras' bid to become the first Latina elected official in Queens.

“Julissa Ferreras will be a force for New York’s working families in the City Council,” said a jubilant Jose Schiffino, member of the Queens Chapter of the Working Families Party. “We endorsed Ferreras because of her tireless work fighting for responsible development and better schools, and we’re proud to have helped put her over the top.”

Working Families Party staff ran the Ferreras effort, and organizer Ted Fertik served as the campaign manager. The WFP and its affiliates, including ACORN, the Hotel Trades Council, and SEIU locals 1199 and 32BJ, together knocked on over 20,000 doors to help put Ferreras across the finish line.

Julissa Ferreras said: “Without the Working Families Party, I never would have been able to get out my message of uniting our communities. This campaign was about fighting for all of us, and I was proud to have the WFP with me every step of the way.”

The Working Families Party has helped elect dozens of City Councilmembers, including Letitia James, who became the first victorious third party Council candidate in decades in 2003.

In 2008, the Working Families Party received over 210,000 combined votes across New York for its Congressional candidates.

Working Family Party Hopes To Make History In Nonpartisan Council Specials by Elizabeth Benjamin - The Daily Politics - NY Daily News

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The Working Families Party and its labor affiliates are putting their respective GOTV machines to work today on behalf of candidates running in two of the three City Council special elections who will make history if they pull off victories.

In the 49th CD, the WFP, ACORN, SEUI 1199, 32BJ, and the HTC are working on behalf of Debi Rose, a Community Board 1 member and executive director of the Liberty Partnership Program at the College of Staten Island who narrowly lost a primary to the man whose seat she's now seeking, Rep. Mike McMahon, in 2001.

If she wins, Rose be the first African American to represent the borough in elected office.

The 49th CD race is shaping up to be a close one, and is further complicated by the fact that the voting is being done on paper ballots due to a last-minute court decision that returned John Tabacco to the ballot.

Also in the running are McMahon's former chief of staff, Ken Mitchell; the Rev. Dr. Tony Baker, Donald Pagano and Paul Saryian.

In the 21st CD, organized labor is working on behalf of Julissa Ferreras, who is running for the seat her former boss, Hiram Monserrate, vacated when he was elected to the state Senate last November. If elected, she'll be the first Latina from Queens on the Council.

Ferreras is facing off against Francisco Moya, a former aide to Gov. David Paterson (when he was Senate minority leader), who has stayed out of this contest. Moya also counts amond his endorsements Citizens Union, and his former boss Rep. Nydia Velazquez.

Also on the ballot in the 21st are Jose Eduardo Giraldo and George Dixon.

The WFP and its labor allies have knocked on more than 40,000 doors for Rose and Ferreras, according to party spokesman Dan Levitan. The WFP is staffing Ferreras' entire campaign and lent four organizers to Rose's operation.

Neither of the WFP candidates appear on the party's line (Row E) due to the nonpartisan nature of the special elections.

The WFP took a pass on the 32nd CD race, most likely due to the fact that the candidate it would have supported, Frank Gulluscio, was booted from the ballot. Gulluscio is a former aide to Joe Addabbo, who vacated the Council seat when he was elected to the Senate.

Gulluscio's departure was caused by the aggressive challenges to his petitions by allies of his opponent, Geraldine Chapey, who is being represented by former Sen. Marty Connor. His loss was a boon for Eric Ulrich, who Republicans see as their best hope for gaining back a third seat on the Council.

Also in the running are: Lew Simon and Mike Ricatto, whose campaign was dealt a blow when a campaign bus driver struck and killed a 9-year-old boy.

ACORN Digs in to Keep Owners in Their Homes by Eun Young Chough - NY Daily News

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They call themselves the "Home Defenders," and they're here to make sure struggling homeowners don't get kicked out without a fight.

As part of a coordinated nationwide civil disobedience campaign, dozens of housing advocates, elected officials and clergy members converged Thursday on the Laurelton home of Myrna Millington, who went through foreclosure in September.

"I have been living in my home for 38 years," said Millington, 73. "I am staying here, and I am not leaving my home."

Millington, a widow, paid off her mortgage. But the trouble began when she refinanced her house to pay for repairs in 2000 after her husband died.

She didn't realize it was a sub-prime loan until she got her first statement.

To help people like Millington, members of the advocacy group ACORN created teams of Home Defenders, who assemble at foreclosed homes to prevent evictions by using tactics such as human chains.

Now a nationwide movement, the campaign will enable homeowners who are facing eviction to use peaceful strategies to stay in their homes.

It will continue, advocates said, until the Obama administration finds a solution to the foreclosure crisis.

"Millington is a victim of predatory lenders, and this is what the current economic crisis has created," said City Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing). "Let's fix the system before throwing people out into the streets."

The civil disobedience campaign occurred on the same day that Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Queens), chairman of the House subcommittee on international monetary policy, launched a free foreclosure intervention program for southeastern Queens, the epicenter of the city's mortgage foreclosure meltdown.

According to a recent report by PropertyShark.com, 13 of the city's top 15 zip codes with the highest number of foreclosures were in Queens. Last year, 5,482 properties in the borough received foreclosure notices.

"We have the largest foreclosure among the five boroughs," said Adrienne Hayes, 44, a member of ACORN who lives in St. Albans.

"What we want is a [foreclosure] moratorium for just one year," said Hayes.