Dear Friends,
Happy Lunar New Year of the Rat! The Rat symbolizes wit, agility and vitality, as the Rat is said to have jumped onto and over the Ox to cross the finish line and be the first animal of the zodiac. And so it is not only a new year, a new decade, but also a new era for workers organizing. Join us as we celebrate the 40th year of Chinese Staff & Workers’ Association, as we continue to fight for equal rights for all workers in 2020!
Fighting for Justice in the Workplace
2019 was a year of fierce struggle, but also great progress. Cuomo’s passing of a $15 minimum wage and elimination of tips actually created more wage theft! Instead of enjoying higher wages, many workers are now working for less with more stolen wages owed to them. Hundreds of home attendants traveled to Albany during freezing cold temperatures to demand Cuomo’s Department of Labor quit protecting the bosses and home care agencies that pay only 13 hours wages for 24 hours work, and to support new legislation to eliminate the inhumane 24-hour mandatory shifts. They also joined with the many workers in other service industries to demand Governor Cuomo pass the Secure Wages Earned Against Theft (SWEAT) legislation, which would give workers new tools to enforce existing labor laws. Thanks to its championing sponsors, Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal and Senator Jessica Ramos, SWEAT passed in the legislature this past summer. But it sat on Governor Cuomo’s desk for months. CSWA and the SWEAT coalition led demonstrations of close to 1,000 and a 10-day picket outside Cuomo’s midtown office. At the last minute, Gov. Cuomo vetoed the SWEAT bill, claiming it was too harsh on sweatshop bosses. This is a stab in the back for working people. By being an accomplice to wage theft, Governor Cuomo is a criminal himself and not fit to serve in public office. In 2020, we are demanding he resign immediately! Despite this, workers have demonstrated that when we come together, we can make a difference. We are looking forward to SWEAT sponsors reintroducing the legislation as we continue to demand justice for workers!
Fighting for Control of Our Community
Building off the success of the 83-85 Bowery tenants victory, residents, students, business owners and concerned community members rallied in support of a legal claim brought against the City of New York for violating its own zoning law in order to give private developers the rights to build skyscrapers across the LES waterfront. This past summer, because of our organizing, we were able to force our elected officials to reverse their position that the towers were a done deal, and even bring their own lawsuit against the City. While we were able to delay construction of the waterfront towers, we are continuing to organize thousands around our demand, “No Towers! No High Rents! No Discrimination!” We spearheaded an effort to collect 5,000 petitions against the towers and in support of the Chinatown Working Group rezoning, and raised a collective consciousness of the City’s role as a representative for the elite developer class. Further, we were able to raise collective power of working people to have a say in how our community is developed, and so more than just a slogan, we made the idea, “people as part of the environment” a reality. On January 20th, we will inaugurate this new year by presenting the 5,000 petitions to Mayor de Blasio and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson to demand equal protection and an end to racism and displacement.
Join us and support CSWA’s 40 year legacy with your membership and with a tax-deductible donation: http://bit.do/donateCSWA. We also hope you will bring your family and friends to our Lunar New Year Celebration on Sunday, February 23rd at our 345 Grand Street workers center to usher in the exciting Year of the Rat!
Sincerely,
Fung Mae Eng, President Ren Quan Yang, Vice President
CSWA Board of Directors CSWA Board of Directors