Get the Dough Out!

nycprogressives — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:53:40 +0000

Sign the Ben & Jerry’s petition to “Get the Dough Out” of American politics, and then go get a free scoop of Stephen Colbert’s Americone Dream from 5-8pm today. Fighting corporate power + free ice cream: how’s that for a sweet Valentine’s Day deal?

And in case you missed it, check out Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito’s op-ed on why Citizens United is bad for small business and bad for democracy – full text after the jump.

Citizens United: Bad for Small Business and Bad for Democracy

02/3/2012

by Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito

Freddy Castiblanco, owner of Terraza 7 Live Music in Elmhurst, NY and member of the steering committee of the Main Street Alliance, is the co-author of this opinion.

Two years ago last week, the Supreme Court handed down the Citizens United decision, paving the way for unlimited corporate spending in elections. In 2012, the decision’s affects are more apparent than ever; the Republican presidential nominee may very well be chosen by a Super PAC, rather than everyday citizens. But the full scope of the damage caused by this decision is only just beginning to be felt, especially at the local level. Among the victims of mega-corporate power will not only be everyday citizens and their elections, but also small businesses in our country.

New data from a national poll of small business owners shows that Citizens United was viewed negatively by an overwhelming 66 percent of the 500 survey participants. Their chief concern was one that most Americans share, including 88 percent of small business owners: with more money in politics, more special privileges are likely to be doled out to those who could pay-to-play. And note that since January 2010, almost $6 billion has been spent on lobbying activities, according to opensecret.org, and at a time when the Congress is debating whose subsidies to preserve, what industries to aid, and which businesses to regulate.

The Citizens United decision stacks the deck further in the favor of big business by allowing money to dictate what is important in elections, who candidates have to please to get elected, and what sort of policy is pursued after they win. Let me assure you, what is good for Terraza 7, a local NYC performance venue, is rarely what is good for Madison Square Garden or Yankee Stadium. But how can Terraza 7 make that point effectively if money is speech and they have less of it?

When the New York City Council passed the Progressive Caucus-sponsored resolution condemning corporate personhood and called for a constitutional amendment process to permanently halt undue corporate influence in elections, they were taking a stand for fairness. The residents of NYC poorest neighborhoods will not be making unlimited donations to Super PACs anytime soon, nor will many of NYCs small businesses. In fact the types of policy and candidates corporate dollars back will almost certainly run counter to what the residents of and employers in NYC poorest and most working class districts really need: good paying jobs, strong public schools and safe and healthy homes.

We need to restore transparency to the system so we know who’s interests are running the campaigns, so we can make clear eyed decisions about the positions myself and other elected officials take. Small business owners also know the value of transparency. To quote one owner, “We build our businesses on the strength of our word.” What’s more, if there is any group of people who can speak to the importance of a society that provides individuals the opportunity to build their dreams with their own hands, it is small business owners. Restoring fairness to the system means protecting these entrepreneurs so that corporations and big money do not drown them out, so that our democracy functions like a democracy, where everyone has a say, regardless of your power, wealth, or social status. With Citizens United at two years old, we have much to do.

PROP Presents: A Public Forum on Police Problems and Policies for Reform

nycprogressives — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:32:15 +0000

Check out this upcoming forum put on by our friends at the Police Reform Organizing Project!

The event will consist primarily of a conversation among academics, policy makers, journalists, and eventually you the audience about current abusive police practices and how all of us agitating together can address and correct them.The line up for the evening includes:

CUNY Professors: Dolores Jones-Brown of CUNY John Jay College, Harry Levine of CUNY Queens College, co-authors of The Crime Numbers Game: Management by Manipulation Eli Silverman of CUNY John Jay, and John Eterno of Molloy College

State Assembly Member: Jeff Aubry from Corona, Chair of the Corrections Committee

City Council Members: Danny Dromm from Jackson Heights, Letitia James from Bedford-Stuyvesant, Rosie Mendez from the Lower East Side, and Jumaane Williams of Brooklyn’s 45th District.

Journalists: Andy Humm from both the Gotham Gazette and Gay City News, and Liliana Segura from The Nation.

Tell the SEC: We Need Full Disclosure Now!

nycprogressives — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:07:46 +0000

In January 2010, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that opened the floodgates for increased corporate influence in our elections. This decision, Citizens United v. FEC, rolled back long-standing restrictions on corporate spending in elections, allowing corporations, trade associations and non-profits to spend unlimited, and often undisclosed, amounts of money directly on elections.

As we mark the second anniversary of this unfortunate Supreme Court ruling, we must not sit idly as large donors try to buy our elections. We must seize this opportunity and let it be known that our democracy is not for sale to the highest bidder!

The 2010 midterm elections provided the first glimpse of the potential impact of this ruling, and this year’s Presidential election is on track to break records on election spending once again. If the Republican Primary elections are an indication of what’s to come, Super PAC spending could exceed direct campaign spending this year.

Fortunately, a new proposal at the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) offers new hope to shine a light on this torrent in corporate political spending. The proposal, if adopted, would mandate disclosure of political spending for all publicly-traded companies, finally enabling citizens to hold corporations accountable for their political spending.

The future of our democracy hangs in the balance; please join us in sending a message to the SEC that now is the time to act to ensure full disclosure of corporate political spending.

Occupy the Courts! Occupy the Corps!

nycprogressives — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:18:54 +0000

This weekend: join Occupy Wall Street, Move to Amend and Public Citizen for two days of action against corporate personhood. We hope to see you there!

Friday, January 20

Schedule changes due to permit denial for 500 Pearl!

5pm – Gather at Liberty Plaza (AKA Zuccotti park)

5:30 – March to Foley Square

6-7pm – Rally across from Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse

@ 40 Centre St.

Speakers: RevBilly, Russell Simmons, Chris Hedges, Laurence Lessig, Virgina Rasmussen of Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy + YOU through the people’s mic & your demonstrations!

Saturday, January 21

Please RSVP citizensunitednyc2nd@yahoo.com for location assignment or meet @ 12pm @ City Hall Park (Broadway & Park Place) for an assignment or to join our mobile unit. End approx 3pm.

Locations: Outside Select Corporate Outlets in NYC (TBD)

Plan: Ask Customers & Passersby “Is This A Person?” + come up with creative ways to engage the public as well as provide them with useful research.

In the News

nycprogressives — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:27:42 +0000

Here’s a sampling of the media coverage from yesterday’s passage of a resolution by the New York City Council opposing corporate personhood. Did we miss any links? Post them in the comments.

The Big Apple Lashes Out over Citizens United Decision, Wall Street Journal

City Council Passes Anti-Corporate Personhood Resolution, Politicker NY

Citizens United Backlash Grows From Cali. to NYC Urging Congress to Overturn Corporate Personhood, Democracy Now!

Council Member Stephen Levin on WBAI Evening News, January 4, 2011

The Fight to End Corporate Personhood Comes to NYC, Dylan Ratigan

City Council: Corporations are not People, Daily Intel

New York City Council Passes Resolution Opposing Corporate Personhood, Huffington Post

New York City Council Denies Corporate Personhood, Daily Kos

New York City Council to Vote on Ending Corporate Personhood, The Raw Story

New York City Takes Aim at Corporate Personhood, Death + Taxes

The Council Tackles Corporate Personhood, Transparency, and the Budget, Gotham Gazette

New York City Council Votes Against Corporate Personhood, Citizens United, truthout

What’s Next

nycprogressives — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 01:02:54 +0000

Thanks for your support and help spreading the word about today’s news! We’re excited to be part of the movement to take our democracy back. Stay in touch with us here, on Twitter (@nycprogressives), on Facebook, or sign up for our e-newsletter. We’ll be posting details soon about a national day of action on January 21 against corporate personhood. And stay tuned for our news round up tomorrow morning!

NY City Council Passes Resolution Declaring that Corporations Are Not People

nycprogressives — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:41:20 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 4, 2012

CONTACT: Mary Tek, Coordinator

212-341-9509 / nyccprogresscaucus@gmail.com

City Council Passes Resolution Declaring that Corporations Are Not People

NEW YORK, NY — The Progressive Caucus of the City Council commends today’s passage of a resolution opposing the United States Supreme Court Citizens United decision, which gave corporations the same First Amendment rights as people. Progressive Caucus Members Brad Lander, Melissa Mark-Viverito and Steve Levin sponsored this resolution, with the entirety of the Progressive Caucus as co-sponsors. We thank Speaker Christine Quinn for her leadership on this important issue.

As our support of this resolution demonstrates, restoring confidence in government and strengthening democratic participation is a core principle of the Progressive Caucus. We believe that corporations should not share the same rights as people, that unlimited and unreported corporate donations meant to sway the electoral process should not be considered freedom of speech, and that the government should regulate the raising and spending of money by corporations intended to influence elections. We cannot allow corporate money to manipulate our democracy.

As Justice John Paul Stevens recognized in his dissent in the Citizens United decision, “corporations have no consciences, no beliefs, no feelings, no thoughts, no desires. Corporations help facilitate and structure the activities of human beings, to be sure, and their ‘personhood’ often serves as a useful legal fiction. But they are not themselves members of ‘We the People’ by whom and for whom our Constitution was established.”

The Progressive Caucus supports this sentiment and urges Congress to take action to protect our democracy against corporate control and return the election process to the people.

TOMORROW: City Council to Vote on Resolution Opposing United States Supreme Court Citizens United Ruling

nycprogressives — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:35:14 +0000

*MEDIA ADVISORY*
January 3, 2012

CONTACT: Mary Tek, Coordinator

212-341-9509 / nyccprogresscaucus@gmail.com

City Council to Vote on Resolution Opposing United States Supreme Court Citizens United Ruling

NEW YORK, NY — The New York City Council will vote on a resolution, sponsored by Progressive Caucus Members Brad Lander, Melissa Mark-Viverito and Stephen Levin with the co-sponsorship of the entirety of the Progressive Caucus and the support of Speaker Christine Quinn, that opposes the United States Supreme Court Citizens United ruling giving corporations the same First Amendment rights as people, including the protection of unregulated campaign donations as freedom of speech, and that calls for a return to pre-2010 regulations.

WHO: Progressive Caucus of the New York City Council
WHAT: New York City Council Stated Meeting
WHEN: Wednesday, January 4 at 12:00pm
WHERE: City Hall Council Chambers
WHY: To vote on a resolution in opposition to Citizens United declaring that corporations are not people

Progressive Caucus Calls for a Fair Contract for SEIU 32BJ Workers

nycprogressives — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:56:52 +0000

NEW YORK, NY — With only ten days left until the contract covering more than 22,000 NYC commercial office building cleaners is set to expire, the Progressive Caucus of the New York City Council stood in support of SEIU 32BJ workers, calling for fair wage increases and a deal that respect workers and avoids poverty-level creation. Negotiations began on November 15th between 32BJ, the city’s largest private-sector union and the Realty Advisory Board (RAB), an multi-employer association representing the city’s commercial building owners, managers, and cleaning contractors.

The proposals made by the city’s major building owners attempt to roll back wage and benefit standards that working men and women depend on to support their families. In particular, their proposals establish a two-tier structure, aimed at creating a second class of workers who are paid less and get lesser benefits, while placing restrictions on the political action of union members.

The top rate for commercial office cleaners represented by 32BJ is $22.65 an hour or $47,000 annually for a full-time 40-hour worker, significantly less than the household income that independent researchers have shown is necessary to support a family of four. Indeed, raising a family in New York City on $47,000 a year is nearly impossible, yet the billion dollar real estate industry says that’s too much money.

Meanwhile, the $20 billion Manhattan commercial real estate industry has experienced its busiest third quarter in three years — with sales activity reaching $6.3 billion, according to Crain’s New York. That puts 2011 on track to be the third highest total sales year on record, surpassed only by the boom years of 2006 and 2007.

As a result of the industry’s proposals, 32BJ office cleaners and commercial building workers voted on December 1st to authorize their bargaining committee to call a strike if necessary. Failure to reach a new contract by 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2012 could lead to a strike of more than 22,000 office cleaners at over 1,500 commercial office buildings citywide.

The Progressive Caucus stands with the workers of 32BJ:

“New York is home to some of the world’s most successful businesses and most sought-after properties,” said Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Council Member Brad Lander. “The blue collar workers who take care of those buildings and help make those businesses possible deserve to be fairly compensated. Give them a fair contract that creates good jobs, protects workers benefits and security, and shrinks inequality in New York.”

“At a time when the cost of living in New York City continues to skyrocket, we must not allow our building service workers to lose ground in their contract negotiations,” said Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito. “The commercial realty industry continues to turn huge profits, while workers earn wages that cannot even sustain a family of four. I join with my Progressive Caucus colleagues in demanding that the Realty Advisory Board come to the table in good faith to negotiate with 32BJ.”

“2011 has been a year of record sales for commercial real estate owners in New York City and I find it unconscionable that ultra-wealthy owners refuse to negotiate a fair wage with their union employees,” said Council Member Stephen Levin. “Fortunately, SEIU 32BJ is fighting for fair wages and benefits so that workers in our city can live here and raise families here. I am proud to stand with my colleagues from the Progressive Caucus and very proud stand with SEIU 32BJ. Let’s get this contract done so that everyone has a very Happy New Year.”

“As the son of parents with union jobs, I understand the importance of fair wages with good benefits for hard working New Yorkers,” said Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer. “ I support SEIU 32BJ in their contract negotiations, as they fight for fair and equitable employment. I stand firmly with my colleagues in the Progress Caucus to support the union in their just cause.”

“It is time for New York City’s real estate industry to treat over 22,000 hard-working building cleaners with some dignity and respect and pay them livable wages,” said Council Member Daniel Dromm. ”We cannot allow these building owners to continue to make record profits while our working families bear the brunt of this economic crisis and flirt with poverty levels. That is simply indefensible. I am proud to stand in solidarity with our 32BJ members in their fight for family sustaining wages and the opportunity to earn an honorable living.”

“The hard working men and women who keep our City’s buildings clean deserve nothing less than a fair contract that ensures their ability to make a livable wage and provide for their families,” said Council Member Julissa Ferreras. “They work hard to ensure our offices are clean and presentable. They ensure that the doors remain open for business. Instead the doors are being slammed in their faces, denying them the opportunity to better their lives and that of their families. Rolling back the wage and benefit standards that these workers have worked so hard for is unacceptable. To do so is nothing more than an attack on families – not just in New York City, but across the country. That is why I proudly stand with the members of 32BJ, to protect them from the assault on families.

“Rolling back wage and benefits standards for hard-working New Yorkers and their families in this economic climate is simply unimaginable,” said Council Member Jumaane Williams. “Even worse, these attempts coincide with the commercial real estate industry staying on track for its third highest total-sales year on record. In other words, the Realty Advisory Board is attempting to deepen this city’s income inequality gap into a canyon. That is simply unacceptable, and 32BJ has every right to keep a strike on the negotiating table.”

“I fully support 32BJ as they move forward in discussions to preserve fair and equal wages for 22,000 commercial office building cleaners in New York City,” said Council Member Letitia James. “The City’s major building owners want to leave these workers with an income that is far from functional for the average City family, while simultaneously creating a two-tier income bracket and disrupting union activity. In a time when commercial real estate is doing well city-wide, it is not fair to underpay commercial office cleaners.”

Press Conference Tomorrow in Support of 32BJ Workers

nycprogressives — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:05:46 +0000

*MEDIA ADVISORY*

December 20, 2011

CONTACT: Mary Tek, Coordinator

212-341-9509 / nyccprogresscaucus@gmail.com

Progressive Caucus Supports 32BJ Workers in Contract Negotiations

NEW YORK, NY — The Progressive Caucus of the New York City Council will hold a press conference in support of 32BJ workers in the midst of contract negotiations. The Progressive Caucus will call for fair wage increases for hard working New Yorkers and a deal that respects workers and avoids poverty-level job creation.

WHAT: The Progressive Caucus holds a press conference in support of 32BJ workers
WHEN: Wednesday, December 21 at 2:30pm
WHERE: City Hall Steps