HUGE Victory for Dreamers

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Today marks a very exciting day for Dreamers, their families, friends and DREAM advocates. After many years of organizing, we managed to get the NYS DREAM Act to pass in the New York State Assembly! We want to take a moment to celebrate this important victory and reflect on the hard work it took to get us here.

We have been organizing with undocumented young people for years on Long Island, long before the state bill even had a bill number, let alone a chance of passing. We’ve been coordinating workshops on how to apply to college if a student is undocumented, and how  deferred action has shifted the playing field. We organized the Long Island Coalition for the DREAM Act, took two buses up to Albany tolobby, and have held numerous rallies and press conferences in support of the bill. And finally, the Assembly followed their conscience and passed the bill. While this victory is HUGE, we have not yet won.

Many in the NY Senate, including all of our nine Long Island senators, have remained silent on the DREAM, or have expressed opposition. With only 15 days left in session, we must continue to demand that our senators do the right thing by passing the NY DREAM Act so that all young people have a chance at getting a college education.

Please call your senator today and tell them that the Assembly passed the DREAM Act and they should too! Our young people cannot wait another day at the hands of their inaction.

Thank you to the Long Island DREAM Act Coalition, all of Long Island’s Dreamers, community leaders and supporters for all of your dedication, support, and hard work. Let’s keep the pressure hot!

Upcoming Film: The Other Side of Immigration

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LONG ISLAND JOBS WITH JUSTICE

 FILM SCREENING:The Other Side of Immigration

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Thursday, May 23rd
6pm-9pm
Panel Discussion and Reception to Follow
General Admission: $20
Student/Low-income: $10
*cash and check only

Huntington Cinema Arts Centre (423 Park Avenue, Huntington)

RSVP with Anita Halasz at ahalasz.lijwj@gmail.com or 631-348-1170 ext. 310

Film Synopsis: Based on over 700 interviews with men and women living in the Mexican countryside,The Other Side of Immigration asks why so many Mexicans leave home to work in the United States and what happens to the families and communities they leave behind. Through an approach that is both subtle and thought provoking, the film challenges audiences to imagine more creative and effective immigration policies.

Huge Victory for Bus Riders!

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Late this evening, the Suffolk County Legislature unanimously passed the Sunday bus service bill! This is a huge victory for bus riders and will not only create more service for people who rely on public transportation, but will also be a boost to our local economy. For those of you who have union members who ride buses, or for our brothers and sisters at TWU Local 252 who drive the buses, this is a huge victory for our labor movement. The passage of the bill is the result of the work of many organizations, but we specifically need to acknowledge the hard work of our partner, Tri-State Transportation Campaign for their smart advocacy on this issue, and Legislator Jay Schneiderman for relentlessly advocating for Sunday bus service for years.
Not only did the bill pass through the legislature, but it passed unanimously. Suffolk County legislators understand the need to support working people on Long Island, and we couldn’t be more happy. We will continue our advocacy work in Suffolk County for serviceexpansions and increased state funding, but we want to take a moment and celebrate this important victory.

Working But Still Poor Conference a Huge Success

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Friday’s conference last week was a huge success, with over 200 faith, labor, and community allies attending our Working But Still Poor Conference. Our keynote speaker, Sister Simone Campbell, Executive Director of NETWORK and the woman behind the Nuns on the Bus tour, was fabulous and announced her upcoming tour on immigration reform! Congressman Tim Bishop spoke about the challenges ahead with moving immigration reform through Congress, and Rev. Charles Coverdale of the First Baptist Church of Riverhead got us started with a motivational opening sermon! Take a look at Bart Jones’ Newsday article about our conference online here, complete with video coverage of the event!

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Thank you so much for your support in attending our event, spreading the word prior, and/or becoming a sponsor!

Jobs with Justice Calls for Sandy Transparency Bill for Nassau’s Sandy Funds

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Mineola, NY–Today, Long Island Jobs with Justice called for a transparency bill to be introduced by the Nassau County legislature as funds continue to come in from Superstorm Sandy. Executive Director Charlene Obernauer spoke at a meeting of the Nassau County Legislature, saying that more transparency is needed to ensure that funds are being spent appropriately, and that workers’ rights and OSHA regulations are being followed.

“There are a lot of investigations going on right now. We don’t know yet if anything has even been done wrong, but we do know, moving forward, that more standards need to be put in place,” said Obernauer to the Legislature on Monday afternoon.

Long Island Jobs with Justice has been watchdogging the Sandy rebuilding process since the storm, recently unveiling massive wage theft in a $10.1 million dollar Sandy contract on Fire Island. They believe that a bill would prevent these kinds of abuses from happening in the future.

“We don’t want this bill to be a bi-partisan effort, we want it to be non-partisan. Superstorm Sandy recovery and rebuilding is a concern for all of us,” Obernauer concluded, urging the legislators to work together to create a better process for public funding in the future.

Watch Charlene Obernauer’s testimony at the legislature online here.