In the official calendar of the United States, May 1 is not a prominent date. But for thousands of hard-working New Yorkers who make a living in all sorts of industries, including construction, elder care, cleaning, restaurants, domestic work, street vending, sex work, and self-employment, this Monday was a reason to raise the voice. The day of protest occurs as Albany is finalizing the definition of the state budget for fiscal year 2024, where benefits for the working class have once again been put in the pipeline.
With all kinds of harangues and banners, in which phrases such as “No more excluded”, “unemployment insurance for all”, “secure jobs”, “less unfair dismissals”, “no more labor slavery” and “better wages” resonated. , protesters from all corners of the Big Apple took over Washington Square Park to demand the passage of state and municipal laws that grant basic protections to their jobs.
The goal is that, among other demands, a significant increase in the minimum wage be approved, a permanent program for access to unemployment insurance for excluded workers, an end to forced prison labor, approval and decriminalization of sex work, and improvements in working conditions.
This was stated by community leaders such as Ángeles Solís, from the Make the Road New York organization, who warned of the urgency of giving free rein to regulations that guarantee that New York workers can be treated with respect and dignity, regardless of their immigration status or the type of work they do.
“Today, we stand up for workers who have been systematically excluded from essential workplace protections. As we celebrate May Day, there are hundreds of thousands of workers across New York who are not paid a living wage and cannot access the basic support of the safety net,” said the activist, who highlighted the role that thousands of essential workers complied in the worst days of the pandemic, who were later turned their backs on. “We applaud essential workers during the pandemic, but our leaders continue to leave the same workers to fend for themselves. We cannot have a real labor movement if we are leaving workers behind.”
The Queens councilor, Tiffany Cabán, was also part of the massive demonstration, which took over several streets in Manhattan, and urged municipal and Albany legislators not to turn a deaf ear to the demands of the workers and to ensure their rights and not those of millionaires.
“The government’s job is to support workers and improve their conditions. They chose us for that, period, and they have to understand that we are in the middle of a workers’ revolution,” said the Democratic politician, who is promoting a law to end dismissals without just cause.
“We have to watch over the excluded, for the incarcerated workers who are released from prison, for the sex workers, for the undocumented workers, and make the law protect the basic right that an employer cannot fire a worker without justification”, Caban said.
Marlon García, joined the cry for excluded workers, who advocate for protections such as unemployment insurance for the undocumented, and in addition to urging Albany not to relegate those who keep the New York economy active, called on all workers and to the immigrant community so that their cries become laws.
“The first thing is that we have to learn to know our rights so that we don’t allow ourselves to be intimidated by abusive employers and the most important thing at this moment is to strengthen our power. United for a single objective: respect and better conditions. That should be the goal, because if we unite, we are going to get them to listen to us and take us seriously,” said the Guatemalan, a member of the Mixteca organization.
Dolores Rodríguez, who works in the cleaning industry, called on New York legislators who are finalizing the 2024 fiscal budget in Albany to include stronger job protections and provide job security at all levels.
“The truth is that the working class is the one that helps to enrich the richest and keep businesses prosperous. It would be nice if the profit pie was shared more equitably, but at least we ask that Albany raise our salaries to decent figures that we don’t have to struggle with to survive and that we are all treated the same, whether we have papers or not ”, said the Mexican. “Protect all workers, but really protect us. Fair wages, respect and dignity.”
Nathan Brown, a Latina transgender woman, reiterated at the march that “sex work is also work,” and asked that this work be legalized, as well as that protections be given free rein so that there is no discrimination against trans people in the workplace .
“We want justice to be done to us and that consensual and adult sex work be humanized,” said the young woman, who narrated that she has often been discriminated against when applying for work. “They look me up and down and tell me we are going to call you, and they never call.”
Gino Murillo, a member of the Local 79 union, which groups thousands of workers in the construction industry, supported calls to improve conditions for the working class in New York, and advocated for an increase in wages.
“We all know how expensive it is to live in New York for us workers, so there is an urgent need for sustainable wages, that we are treated with respect. The exploitation has to stop today. We are the ones who built this city and we deserve fair wages,” said the Ecuadorian, who called for construction workers to be paid a minimum wage of $40 an hour. “We will continue fighting to have fair wages and to lift our communities out of poverty.”
Lucas Shapiro, interim executive director of ALIGN, which leads the Raise Up NY coalition, demanded the wage increase.
“All workers deserve a living wage, dignity in the workplace, and safe working conditions,” Shapiro said. “This May Day, we march for underpaid, exploited and excluded workers as we continue to fight for a minimum wage that provides real relief to New York’s working families.”
Katie Schaffer, director of Advocacy and Organizing at the Center for Community Alternatives, put on the table the urgency of passing “the Clean Slate Act,” which she said “would end the perpetual punishment faced by more than 2 million of New Yorkers due to sentences they served in prisons.
“With overwhelming support across the State, now is the time to break the cycles of intergenerational poverty and allow all New Yorkers to support themselves and their families. This law would provide relief to New Yorkers who have been excluded from economic opportunities, stable housing and higher education for too long (because they have been incarcerated)”, the activist asserted.
Tina Luongo, chief attorney for The Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Defense Practice, insisted that the laws themselves are depriving workers of opportunity and fair treatment.
“There can be no more exceptions. We are united in the fight for the dignity and respect of every worker in our state, including incarcerated workers and workers with criminal records,” said the advocate.