| Team,
Donald Trump likes to portray himself as a champion for the American worker, but New Yorkers know better.
From refusing to pay contractors for completed work, to being investigated by the Department of Justice for housing discrimination, Donald Trump’s hostility to working people has always been on display -- and it’s only gotten worse as president.
Thanks to policies designed to weaken collective bargaining and give greater control to corporate bosses, union membership has plunged to just 10 percent nationally, down from highs in the 1950s of more than 35 percent. Trump has even appointed a staunch union-buster as his labor secretary -- someone who has spent decades stripping away workers' rights on behalf of corporate clients.
Ritchie isn’t afraid to stand up and fight for the rights of workers in the era of Trump. He’s honored to have the support of numerous labor unions across the city, including the Communications Workers of America, who represent more than 700,000 workers in the public and private sectors.
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Ritchie will hold the Trump administration accountable for their union-busting policies, and he’ll champion legislation that puts a stop to the unchecked power of corporations. But Ritchie needs your help.
-- Team Ritchie
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Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Team Ritchie - We just picked up another huge labor endorsement!
Team AOC - Are you mad?
In 2018, the DCCC endorsed and supported a right-of-center Democrat in New Jersey’s 2nd Congressional district — Jeff Van Drew.
His voting record was clearly conservative. He had an “A” rating from the NRA. There were progressive candidates running in the race. None of that mattered, because the DCCC endorsed him anyway.
Now, he’s poised to defect and join the Republican Party. Are you angry? We sure are — the DCCC has gone out of their way to stamp down on progressive candidates, and lift up conservative Democrats.
And they’re still at it. Right now, the DCCC is working to protect an out-of-touch, anti-choice incumbent against a progressive challenger in Illinois’ 3rd district — Marie Newman.
If the DCCC won’t change, we need to send them a message.
For too long, the DCCC has stepped on progressive candidates to support moderate or conservative Democrats out of fear. That’s a huge impediment to passing our progressive policies in Congress.
And the DCCC isn’t changing its ways. Last year, they announced their new blacklist policy — any staffer or consultant that worked with a progressive challenger would be removed from the DCCC-approved list.
For progressives like Marie Newman, that hurt. People got scared of the DCCC’s blacklist, left the campaign, and put them in a really difficult spot against their pro-life, conservative Democratic opponent.
And that’s just the beginning of their hypocrisy. According to a recent report by The Intercept, the DCCC has no qualms about working with companies that contract with Republicans.
There’s one thing we know for sure: When a blacklist policy targets progressives, but not Republicans who use their seats to push Trump’s divide-and-conquer agenda, something is seriously wrong.
Thanks for all that you do,
Team AOC
Monday, December 16, 2019
PROTECTING YOUNG NEW YORKERS: DE BLASIO SIGNS BAN OF FLAVORED E-CIGARETTES INTO LAW
Bans the sale of flavored electronic cigarettes and flavored e-liquids in New York City, including mint, menthol and wintergreen e-cigarettes and e-liquids
Building on previous efforts to curb the use of tobacco among young New Yorkers, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed Intro. 1362-A by Council Member Mark Levine today banning the sale of flavored electronic cigarettes and flavored e-liquids in New York City, including mint, menthol, and wintergreen e-cigarettes and e-liquids. The ban takes effect July 1, 2020.
“Big tobacco, take note: New York City will not stand for your cynical attempts to hook children on a potentially lethal, lifelong nicotine addiction,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “By signing this legislation, we are standing up for our kids, the health of our city, and taking the action that is necessary to curb tobacco use once and for all.”
Intro 1362-A bans the sale of flavored e-cigs and flavored e-liquids in New York City, including mint, menthol and wintergreen e-cigarettes. The bill would also ban the use of “concept flavors”, like Rainbow Road or Polar Breeze, which attempt to circumvent flavor bans. Additionally, the legislation requires the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to conduct an awareness campaign to educate the public about the availability of smoking-cessation resources. This goes into effect in 90 days.
The City has taken extensive action to prevent and discourage the use of e-cigarettes among minors. Retailers are prohibited from selling e-cigarettes and related products to those younger than 21 years old. Additionally, a separate license is required to sell e-cigarettes, and use of e-cigarettes is prohibited in all places where smoking is prohibited, including schools, parks, and many workplaces. Additionally, pharmacies are no longer allowed to sell any tobacco or e-cigarette products.
Literacy and education of the dangers of e-cigarettes has been a key component of the City’s prevention efforts. In October, The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene launched a bilingual, multi-platform digital media campaign—including Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, YouTube, Hulu, Facebook, and Google search—to educate teens about the dangers of e-cigarettes.
Last year, as part of the de Blasio administration’s comprehensive approach to reducing the retail availability of tobacco, the city banned the use of tobacco products in pharmacies. In August 2017, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed a package of bills into law to reduce tobacco use, which also included raising the minimum prices for all tobacco products; capping the number of tobacco retailers citywide; creating a retail license for e-cigarettes that was not open to pharmacies, effectively banning e-cigarettes from pharmacies; capping the number of e-cigarette retailers; and promoting smoke-free spaces in residential settings.
“New York City celebrates a victory for public health and shows the way for other cities with the signing of this legislation to ban flavored e-cigarettes,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Raul Perea-Henze. “This historic step helps to protect young New Yorkers, who are most vulnerable to the threat of nicotine addiction, and builds on the innovative work of our Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to make all our communities aware of the ongoing dangers of tobacco and e-cigarette use.”
“Big Tobacco built a deadly industry off of the health of teens—getting them hooked young and keeping them addicted to e-cigarettes with flavors like bubble gum,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot. “E-cigarette executives are using the same playbook they used with menthol but we will not let history repeat itself. By stopping the e-cigarette industry from peddling flavors attractive to kids we are protecting a new generation from nicotine addiction.”
MAYOR DE BLASIO AND NEW YORK STATE NURSES ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCE CONTRACT AGREEMENT
Ratified agreement includes wage increases and changes to address recruitment and retention problems and help nurses deliver quality care
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today that the City of New York has reached a contract agreement with the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), which represents more than 8,500 nurses across the NYC Health + Hospitals system (H+H) and City Agencies.
The agreement includes compounded wage increases of 2.00%, 2.25%, 0.25%, and 3.00% over nearly 45 months, is retroactive to June 6, 2019, and expires on March 2, 2023.
“Nurses are vital to the health and well-being of our city,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “With our agreement with the New York State Nurses Association, we’re paying a fair wage and addressing longstanding issues of recruitment and retention to ensure these nurses have the support they need to continue to provide excellent care to all New Yorkers.”
“Nurses are the heart of our mission to care for all New Yorkers without exception. Their professionalism and compassion exemplify the values of our organization,” said Mitchell Katz, MD, President and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals. “The care of our patients and the people who care for them are a priority in the City’s public health system, and NYSNA and their members are critical in that effort.”
“We are thrilled to have reached an agreement with our partners at NYSNA that’s good for nurses, our health system and the million-plus patients we serve,” said Chief Nurse Executive for NYC Health + Hospitals Natalia Cineas, DNP, RN, NEA-BC. “As a part of our transformation we have hired a significant number of new nurses and look forward to adding to our team as we make our system more attractive for nurses with a passion for excellence and our mission.”
“Throughout this negotiation, Mayor de Blasio and his representatives in the contract negotiation demonstrated a fundamental commitment to the people of New York City. They listened intently to the nurses and others speak about conditions in the public hospitals and the contract reflects what they heard and learned. We thank the Mayor for the respect he showed us and for a contract that supports nurses and patients and the many communities we serve. The respect is very much mutual,” said Jill Furillo, RN, NYSNA Executive Director.
“This is a great win for the nurses of NYC H+H and Mayorals, and the patients we care for. With this contract and its many important provisions, including nurse-to-patient ratios, we can raise the level of patient care. That’s the real winner. Thanks to my fellow NYSNA nurses for their extraordinarily hard work and devotion to the people of New York City. We greatly appreciate NYC H+H President and CEO Dr. Mitchell Katz for his dedication to the public's health. We are so proud to be a part of a system that stands for healthcare as a human right,” said Judith Cutchin, RN, NYSNA Board Member and President, NYSNA's NYC H+H/Mayoral Executive Council.
The City has agreed to collaboratively address nurse-to-patient staffing ratios with NYSNA and establish an escalation process including non-binding mediation.
To address recruitment and retention issues, H+H and NYSNA have agreed to changes in certain salaries and differentials for specific subsets of the bargaining unit which have experienced severe recruitment and retention problems in recent years, such as Nurse Practitioners, and Nurses in certain targeted specialty areas and/or with specific levels of education.
The parties have also collaborated to enhance the employee experience by adding and modifying contract language relating to workplace violence prevention, disaster relief leave, nurse practice councils, floating assignments, safe patient handling and posting and filling of vacancies. In addition, NYSNA will have the right to opt into the NYS Paid Family Leave Program during the term of the contract.
This agreement has been ratified by NYSNA membership.
The total cost of the NYSNA settlement through Fiscal Year 2023 is $336 million, which is covered by existing resources.
SAVE-THE-DATE - SBX Confronts Asthma Epidemic Head On
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NYC Public Advocate - WILLIAMS UNVEILS 2019 WORST LANDLORDS WATCHLIST
Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams unveiled the annual Worst Landlords Watchlist today, which spotlights the top 100 most egregiously negligent landlords in New York City as determined by widespread and repeated violations in buildings on the list.
The 2019 worst individual landlord is Jason Korn, who rose from number 9 in 2018 after holding an average of 2,877 open housing violations each month across more than a dozen buildings over the last year. Also topping the list as the overall worst landlord for the second year in a row is the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), with nearly 350,000 current outstanding work orders, over 100,000 more than last year's total following the installation of a federal monitor and new Chairman.
"I've been a tenant organizer, I've been a Housing Chair, and now as Public Advocate, I'm going to use my voice to amplify those of tenants suffering because of the worst landlords in our city," said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams. "The landlords on this list have failed to live up to their most basic obligations. Through legislation and organization, through political power and tenant power, we're going to take them on."
The top five worst individual landlords for 2019 are:
- Jason Korn, average of 2,877 HPD open violations
- Nathan Montgomery, average of 1,581 HPD open violations
- Eric Silverstein, average of 1,144 HPD open violations
- Abdul Khan, average of 1,135 HPD open violations
- Chris Deangelis, average of 978 HPD open violations
The Public Advocate's Landlord Watchlist is an information-sharing tool intended to allow tenants, public officials, advocates, and other concerned individuals to identify which residential property owners consistently flout the City's laws intended to protect the rights and safety of tenants. Buildings on the watchlist have, on average, the highest levels of open HPD violations per unit, per month. This is the first list from Public Advocate Williams' office following his election to the office earlier this year.
The number one worst individual landlord on the 2019 list, Jason Korn, oversees sixteen properties on the list with over 700 combined units and averaged nearly 3,000 open HPD violations each month over the past year. Among the HPD Class C Violations on his properties, the most severe category, are lead paint exposure, rodent infestation, mold, electrical failures, heat and hot water failures, and others.
NYCHA, which first topped the watchlist last year, has since had a new Chair and a federal monitor installed. Across all 326 developments, it has 342,840 open work orders as of November 2019, with unsafe and unsanitary conditions impacting the nearly half a million public housing residents in New York City. That represents a sharp increase from last year's 240,120 work orders at the close of November 2018.
"As a long time tenant organizer before joining the office of the Public Advocate, I have seen first hand what tenants live through when they have neglectful landlords as the ones on this list," said Delsenia Glover, Deputy Public Advocate of Housing Equity. "It is shameful. Landlords need more accountability, as well as stiffer penalties for the deliberateness of their neglect of property. No one deserves to live in the conditions we've seen in these buildings."
The Public Advocate announced the list at a rally in lower Manhattan with tenant organizations and elected officials, highlighting many of the offenses which earned landlords their rank on the list, including inadequate fire exits, rodents, lead-based paint, and lack of heat, hot water, electricity, or gas, among others. The rally kicked off a citywide tour by the Public Advocate, visiting properties across the city owned by the worst landlords. The first site is run by the designated worst landlord, the New York City Housing Authority. While the agency is not included in the methodology used to rank individual property owners, the Public Advocate emphasized that its neglect and mismanagement needs to be spotlighted and combated.
Public Advocate Williams also spotlighted several of the disingenuous tactics employed by the worst landlords in order to remove themselves from the list - including self-certification of repairs without city verification and transfers of ownership among different individuals within the same entity. He announced that his office was pursuing legislation to limit self-certification, to increase penalties for failure to make or to falsely represent the status of critical repairs, and to bring transparency to ownership of properties.
Individual landlords on the list are ranked according to objective criteria based on the number of open housing code violations issued to their buildings by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), based on data from December 2019 to November 2019. Also listed are the 10 "worst" buildings for each borough, ranked according to the number of average open violations per month, regardless of ownership. Only Class B and C violations are counted in the calculation of whether a building meets the selection criteria. More on the methodology is available here.
"Technology and data has the power to give voice to those who have historically been ignored," said John Katt, Director of Technology, Development, and Data for the Public Advocate's office. "The Worst Landlord Watchlist is one such technology, giving voice to New Yorkers whose homes are routinely not kept in a living condition."
Expanding on his legislative and advocacy-driven solution to fight the abuses of landlords on the list, the Public Advocate spoke about the need for, and power of, tenant organization. He highlighted his own history as a tenant organizer and pointed to the recent victories in Albany as evidence of the ability for unified tenants to demand change and accountability from the worst landlords in the city, declaring that his office would help connect tenants and enable them to organize on a building, block, and borough basis.
The Public Advocate will launch a citywide tour Monday of properties owned by the worst landlords, with more information available here.
View the full Worst Landlord Watchlist, as well as borough-specific lists, for 2019 at LandlordWatchlist.com.
The Food Insecurity Program is part of the Speaker’s plan to combat food inequity
New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and City University of New York (CUNY) Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez announce a $1 million pilot to address food insecurity among CUNY students. The program, which starts at CUNY’s seven community colleges, is part of the Speaker’s multi-pronged approach to stemming food inequity in New York.
In the fall and spring semesters, 1,250 qualifying students, including CUNY Dreamers, those with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, will get $400 that they can spend in campus cafeterias. The students were selected from a pool of low-income students who met the basic eligibility criteria and had an average family income that was $15,605.
“College student hunger is a serious problem in New York City. CUNY students should be focused on learning and studying, not where their next meal is coming from. We are one of the richest cities in the world but too many New Yorkers don’t have equitable access to healthy food. The Council is proud to fund this pilot so that more students have access to food instead of skipping meals to survive,” said Council Speaker Corey Johnson.
“A student dealing with hardships outside of the classroom can be quickly overwhelmed by the demands of college. I applaud Speaker Johnson for his leadership on this critical issue and I thank the City Council for supporting this important pilot program. The initiative will be a valuable addition to CUNY’s leading-edge efforts to address food insecurity and connect students to life-changing resources that will contribute to their physical and mental well-being and academic success,” said Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez.
Students were notified in October that they were eligible for the fall semester. Determinations are made per semester, therefore the group in the spring may be different as population and need shifts. Students are given $400 vouchers or swipe cards – equivalent to three $10 meals weekly for 13 weeks – to spend on any food items in participating cafeterias.
The basic eligibility criteria to qualify is:
- Significant financial need
- Resident of the five boroughs
- Enrolled at CUNY for at least 9 credits
- Obtaining first college degree
- Not currently a recipient of the SupplementalNutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Maintaining a satisfactory grade point average
Participating colleges are: Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), Bronx Community College (BCC), Hostos Community College, Kingsborough Community College (KBCC), LaGuardia Community College, Queensborough Community College (QCC) and Guttman Community College.
Priority was given to student parents, students who completed at least 45 credits and first year students. One survey of CUNY students found that nearly half of respondents said they had been food insecure in the prior 30 days.
The Speaker’s pilot builds on CUNY’s efforts to guide more students to available resources and address food insecurity. These efforts range from opening food pantries or offering food vouchers at all 18 undergraduate colleges to growing food on three campuses, including Kingsborough’s quarter-acre Urban Farm that produces thousands of pounds of fresh organic produce each year to distribute to students in need.
Another CUNY effort to help alleviate stressors that can hinder a student’s academic career are campus-based offices that assist students in obtaining nutrition benefits, health insurance, legal and financial services and tax preparation. These offices also manage campus food pantries and operate at every CUNY community college and at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
“We know that to be successful in college, students must have their basic needs met, including having enough food to eat. We are committed to working with our partners to prevent food insecurity among our students. In addition to the recently opened food pantry on campus, these emergency food vouchers will help give our students the support they need to complete their degrees and achieve their dreams. We thank the Speaker, the City Council, and CUNY, for their visionary leadership on this critical issue,” said Karrin E. Wilks, Interim President of BMCC.
SEVEN INDICTED IN DRUG PACKAGING MILL OPERATION: MAN CHARGED WITH ASSAULTING OFFICERS BY THROWING TOXIC FENTANYL
Bridget G. Brennan, New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor, Ray Donovan, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New York Division, New York City Police Commissioner Dermot F. Shea, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York Special Agent in Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh, New York State Police Superintendent Keith M. Corlett and Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced the indictment of seven individuals charged with operating a fentanyl packaging operation in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx. One defendant faces assault charges for allegedly throwing fentanyl at a law enforcement officer with the intent to cause serious injury.
Members of the New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force, Group Z-21, obtained a court authorized search warrant for a suspected narcotics packaging location at 304 Willis Avenue, Apt. 4D on November 7, 2019. Upon entering the apartment, agents and officers encountered six individuals in the living room along with a large quantity of suspected heroin and fentanyl packaged into nearly 20,000 individual dose glassine envelopes, as well as additional quantities of narcotics in loose powder form.
Before Strike Force members could secure the apartment, defendant CHRISTIAN ROJAS allegedly threw loose fentanyl at the head of one of the officers, striking him with powder and causing dust to become airborne. The officer exhibited fentanyl-related symptoms, including nausea and shortness of breath and was treated by emergency responders. A second officer who was immediately behind this officer also experienced nausea and shortness of breath, and momentarily lost consciousness while being transported to a hospital via ambulance. A total of four officers experienced fentanyl-related symptoms as a result of being inside the apartment at 304 Willis Avenue, which is across the street from a public elementary school.
The defendants are scheduled for arraignment today before Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Abraham Clott, 111 Centre Street, Part 61. An indictment filed by the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor charges CHRISTIAN ROJAS with two counts of Attempted Aggravated Assault Upon a Police Officer, two counts of Assault in the Second Degree and one count of Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree. All seven defendants allegedly present in the apartment are charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree, two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree and two counts of Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia in the Second Degree.
Defendants JOSE GONZALEZ, FREDDY ROJAS, NASSAR LACEWELL, MARIO GUERRERO and FRANCISCO PAYANO were allegedly in the living room along with CHRISTIAN ROJAS at the time of the court authorized search. Defendant MARGARET PAYANO was in a bedroom.
Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan thanked Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark and commended members of her office’s Special Investigations Bureau and the New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force, a crime-fighting unit comprising federal, state and local law enforcement agencies supported by the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.
The Strike Force is housed at the DEA’s New York Division and includes agents and officers of the DEA; the New York City Police Department; the New York State Police; Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations; the U.S. Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; U.S. Secret Service; the U.S. Marshals Service; New York National Guard; the Clarkstown Police Department; U.S. Coast Guard; Port Washington Police Department; and New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
The charges and allegations are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.