CEJ Buffalo

02/26/2021

If this infuriates you as much as it does us, may we recommend joining the group BTRU-ly Heard to engage with like minded folks

This is how NFTA-Metro informs riders that a FOURTH round of transit cuts is approaching in less than 10 days. Someone at NFTA must think bus riders don't have the time or savviness to commit to an hour-long fact finding mission, scanning between old and new PDFs, identifying what is changing and what is staying the same.

Here is what we see: NFTA is eliminating almost all remaining 15-minute trip frequencies--lengthening them to 20-minute waits. This affects #20 Elmwood, #23 Fillmore-Hertel, #3 Grant, #5 Niagara-Kenmore, #12 Utica and even the #19 Bailey--despite talking about the prospect of increasing transit service in a meeting in late January.

Furthermore, #15 Seneca is taking a big cut. On weekdays beginning March 8th, almost half of all buses will stop 3 miles short of Southgate Plaza. So if you miss your bus at the Southgate, you may need to wait an hour for the next bus instead of 30 minutes.

Some of our members are messaging local lawmakers now, objecting to these cuts, and asking for restoration of cuts in 2020. If you want to be apart of the conversation, join our Facebook Group, BTRU-ly Heard in the link below.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/3617416865038410

02/25/2021

Fight for $15

#RaiseTheWage NOW!

Chicago McDonald's worker Adriana Alvarez calls on Congress to #RaiseTheWage NOW and shares how passing $15 in Illinois changed her family's life.

02/18/2021

New York Sues Amazon Over COVID-19 Safety, Citing 'Flagrant Disregard' In Warehouses

On Monday, the Hamburg IDA voted 6-3 in favor of giving Amazon 6.85 million dollars in tax subsidizes. Amazon will continue to take advantage of a global crisis and make money off our backs and labor as long as we let them.

"In a statement, James said Amazon and its chief executive, Jeff Bezos, “made billions” during the crisis while workers “were forced to endure unsafe conditions.”

“Since the pandemic began, it is clear that Amazon has valued profit over people and has failed to ensure the health and safety of its workers,” James said. “The workers who have powered this country and kept it going during the pandemic are the very workers who continue to be treated the worst.”"

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/new-york-sues-amazon-covid-safety-warehouses_n_602d2865c5b66da5db9e4e48

Attorney General Letitia James says Amazon's monitoring of productivity has made it impossible for workers to practice good safety.

02/12/2021

Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Twitter

https://twitter.com/SecretaryPete/status/1357455333443182594
#TransitEquityDay

“On this Transit Equity Day, I’m committed to including partners on the state, local, tribal, and territorial levels to ensure we rebuild our nation’s infrastructure into something that creates opportunities for all, especially those who have been historically shut out. https://t.co/PFqHargCJw...

02/11/2021

Proponents, opponents of Amazon plan battle it out during Hamburg IDA forum

"Jeff Brylski, president of Teamsters Local 449, is a lifelong Hamburg resident who is in opposition to providing Amazon with a tax abatement.

Brylski said $15 an hour is not a game-changer for the town.

"Right now, the Town of Hamburg has 41 blue-collar Teamster representatives living here. These 41 families together will contribute more in town, county and school taxes every year for the next 10 years than Amazon under the proposed PILOT program," said Brylski.

"This doesn't count the contributions of the white-collar workers and retirees who also call Hamburg their home," he added. "A vote to grant these incentives to Amazon is a vote against all these families.""

#NoAmazonTaxBreaks

https://buffalonews.com/news/local/proponents-opponents-of-amazon-plan-battle-it-out-during-hamburg-ida-forum/article_155f5e86-6c16-11eb-a8ad-473dce4d3f9e.html

The warehouse and distribution center is expected to employ at least 50 full-time and 50 part-time workers, paying them each $15 an hour.

02/10/2021

Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting

The Hamburg IDA is holding a public meeting tonight about the Amazon Development. Join us in letting them know that the community does NOT want Amazon, a 11 trillion dollar corporation, to receive 6.85 million dollars in tax breaks. Amazon has been seriously profiting off the pandemic and has been making headline with their union busting tactics in Alabama. There awful labor practices have been making news for years. We can not let them continue to make money off our backs while taking tax funding from our community. Here is the zoom information to join the meeting tonight. See you there

Meeting Link
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2193766730?pwd=QXhTSXZTQlpWck5VdEhESWNUUz Y1Zz09
Meeting ID: 219 376 6730
Passcode: 14075

Dial by your location +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 219 376 6730
Passcode: 14075

Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, confer...

02/08/2021

Thank you, William Mayer, for putting this together.

Join us Wednesday at 6pm to let the Hamburg IDA know, we expect Amazon to pay their taxes just like the rest of us

2nd Public Hearing and Special Meeting of the Hamburg IDA
Wednesday February 10th at 6pm
In-Person at Hamburg Town Hall 6100 South Park Ave
or via Zoom to watch it "Live Stream"
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSMmozWRptFd7FJn5Ezad2g/featured?view_as=subscriber

For more information about this meeting click on this link http://www.hamburgida.com/download_file/3091/1207

#AmazonMustPayTaxes #HamburgIDA #HamburgNY

02/06/2021

Erie County Executive Polancarz issues statement urging Hamburg IDA to reject proposed tax breaks on Amazon warehouse project. The facts don't add up!

02/05/2021

Amazon’s anti-union blitz stalks Alabama warehouse workers everywhere, even the bathroom

Friendly reminder that we should not be giving tax breaks to corporations so they can mistreat us

#NoTaxBreaks4Amazon

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/02/02/amazon-union-warehouse-workers/

The stakes couldn’t be higher for the e-commerce giant, which is fighting the biggest labor battle in its history on U.S. soil.

02/05/2021

www.hamburgida.com

"I moved here over 12 years ago and happy to say Hamburg is my home. I have seen the population grow along with businesses, I have seen many people move here, rent then buy a house and start a family. I am actively involved in committees and the community and have had many conversations about everything especially when it pertains to the Town of Hamburg.

Amazon wants to build a warehouse here and wants $6.85 Million in tax breaks and offering 100 full time and part time positions at $15 hr with no guarantee of part time workers working up to 32 hrs a week ....... while in Tonawanda they got no tax breaks. No one can afford to buy a house on that, let alone pay the medium rent of $1,100 a month, make a car payment and forget about eating after paying utilities and insurances.

A company that in the 3rd quarter of 2020 reported $96.15 Billion in revenue, that’s “B’ as in Billion, one of the richest men in the world and he doesn’t want to pay taxes or pay a livable wage ??? Really !?!

Why are we even considering this ??? We have good School Districts but all of them are struggling just like school systems around the county and state are, how much in taxes is Amazon not going to be paying that would help support Frontier School System??? I can safely say Hamburg welcomes Amazon or any business or large corporation that wants to start roots here ...... but not at taxpayer expense, not low wage workers expense and now not at the expense of school children. I left work early to be here today to speak about this because it’s this important and I have no other place I would rather be than right here or on Wednesday February 10th 6pm at Hamburg Town Hall for the next Hamburg IDA Public Hearing"

William Mayer- Hamburg resident and member of the International Union of Painters and Allied
Trades District Council 4

The IDA Public Hearing will be held next Wednesday, February 10th at 6pm. Info for the meeting can be found at this link http://www.hamburgida.com/download_file/3091/1207

02/05/2021

NYS releases findings of investigation into redlining in Buffalo

“Underserved communities, especially families of color, continue to face housing discrimination, in the form of limited access to mortgage lending, facing a roadblock to achieve the American dream,” Gov. Cuomo said. “The report reaffirms the importance of the State of the State proposal to increase access to mortgage loans to close the racial wealth gap to help us build back better for a fairer New York.”

“Underserved communities, especially families of color, continue to face housing discrimination, in the form of limited access to mortgage lending, facing a roadblock to achieve the American …

02/04/2021

Buffalo Transit Riders United - BTRU

Buffalo Transit Riders United - BTRU

The first section is complete. Come join us at 4pm for short films on Rosa Parks

02/03/2021

Activists demand rejection of tax breaks for Amazon project in Hamburg

"Hamburg’s residents deserve better," said Holly Nowak, executive director for CEJ Buffalo. "We are tired of being told that any job is a good job, that we need to do everything and anything to appease and lure in massive corporations that are worth more money than any of us could ever imagine and certainly will not see in our lifetime."

https://buffalonews.com/news/local/activists-demand-rejection-of-tax-breaks-for-amazon-project-in-hamburg/article_f38cc02e-6638-11eb-b291-7b5956a665a7.html

During a hearing held by the IDA last month, State Sen. Sean Ryan questioned why Amazon needed the tax breaks, saying the company built a similar project in Tonawanda –

02/03/2021

COALITION OF GROUPS URGES HAMBURG IDA TO REJECT TAX GIVEAWAY FOR AMAZON

Today, February 3, 2021, The Coalition for Economic Justice (CEJ) held a press conference, outside of Hamburg Town Hall (6199 South Park Ave, Hamburg, NY 14075) to call for the Hamburg Industrial Development Agency not to give away millions in taxpayer dollars in the proposed plan for a new Amazon Distribution Center.

Attendees are concerned that the jobs proposed pay less than the median wage in Hamburg, as well as the loss of tax revenue for Erie County Schools and Municipalities.

Holly Nowak, CEJ Executive Director said "We believe in the need for development that works with and for the community. Good development would mean a company willing to invest in the community, hire local labor, pay a livable wage, offer skill development, and not further burden residents with inflated tax breaks. By this definition, the Amazon development at Route 5 and Bayview does not pass these critical tests.” Currently, a tax subsidy of 6.85 million dollars is being sought for a distribution center for the second largest corporation in the country, valued at roughly 1.7 trillion dollars. Taking away funds from Frontier School District, whose high school is situated near the proposed building site. The plan reportedly includes 100 jobs that start at 15 dollars an hour, a wage that you can not live on in Hamburg. This is a bad deal for the taxpayers of Hamburg and Erie County.

Amazon is known nationally for how poorly it treats its employees. Treatment known by many locally who have worked at the Lancaster and Tonawanda locations.

"Local governments too often want to hop on board the emerging tech-fueled job sector, but these warehousing jobs by Amazon provide less for working families than a typical sales associate position at Wal-Mart and Target," said Simon Husted, a member of CEJ Buffalo, and a former pallet technician at the Amazon sortation center in Lancaster, NY. "At a big box store, at least you know your work-day will earn you more than four hours of pay, and if need be, usually sits within a mile of a bus stop. Point is, local governments regret handing out millions of dollars in tax breaks to big box stores. The same will be true with Amazon."

The gathering outside of Hamburg Town Hall included residents and union leaders to call for the IDA to put residents' needs first. Attendees made it clear that Hamburg and Erie County residents at large, deserves better and deserve good development that is not built not on the backs of taxpayers for subpar jobs, or to benefit a trillion dollar corporation. Attendees urged the Hamburg IDA to use taxpayer dollars wisely and only support responsible community partners.

01/28/2021

Did you know there's a way to get mutual aid assistance if you need it or if you don’t, you can help those in your community who do? Check out this post from BMAN’s page on how you can get involved! Please let us know if you have any questions :)

Need mutual aid assistance or want to help those in need? These are some ways to get involved in the process!

Mutual aid database: https://www.idealist.org/en/groups?q=&searchMode=true
Buffalo Solidarity Fund: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1m5HU9t63cb2ztdFhsilMPY0vHchv41sPom5jeKOS89c/edit

#mutualaid #buffalo #relief #involvement #bman #inclusion #connect #communication #donate

01/27/2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has had detrimental effects on society in various areas. The uncertainty that surrounds this virus leaves many people fearful and concerned about the health of themselves as well as their loved ones. The campaign for New York Health aims to earn our right to universal healthcare through this day of action. Join us for the Town meeting today at 1:30pm!
Stay informed about the campaign by visiting their website
https://www.nyhcampaign.org/
#PassNYHealth #NYHealth #Healthcare #UniversalHealthcare #PoorPeoplesCampaign

The COVID-19 pandemic has had detrimental effects on society in various areas. The uncertainty that surrounds this virus leaves many people fearful and concerned about the health of themselves as well as their loved ones. The campaign for New York Health aims to earn our right to universal healthcare through this day of action. Join us for the Town meeting today at 1:30pm!
Stay informed about the campaign by visiting their website
https://www.nyhcampaign.org/
#PassNYHealth #NYHealth #Healthcare #UniversalHealthcare #PoorPeoplesCampaign

01/27/2021

Poor People's Campaign- WNY

Vote to help choose the next discussion topic with the Poor People's Campaign's political ed group!

The Poor People's Campaign- WNY wants your say in which conversations to have next! We found three different movies that relate to PPC's work and mission and we want your help in selecting which one to discuss! Please vote by commenting a reaction (emoji) for the movie option that you would most enjoy discussing with the group. Descriptions of each movie are listed below.

Crip Camp= ❤️
American Factory= 👍
Rage Against the Machine x The Ummah Chroma – Killing In Thy Name= 😮

Crip Camp description: A groundbreaking summer camp galvanizes a group of teens with disabilities to help build a movement, forging a new path toward greater equality.

American Factory description: In this documentary, hopes soar when a Chinese company reopens a shuttered factory in Ohio. But a culture clash threatens to shatter an American dream.

Killing In Thy Name description: Features a teacher educating a small group of students about “the fiction known as whiteness” as well as the United States’ history of racial and social oppression.

Everyone is welcome to the discussion, so share with friends and family members to get their feedback as well! Feel free to message if you have any questions!

01/26/2021

Statewide Day of Action for Guaranteed Healthcare

New York families need a just recovery from this pandemic, and that means truly universal, guaranteed healthcare. RSVP to join the Virtual Day of Action on Wednesday January 27 to tell lawmakers to pass the NY Health Act and make healthcare a right for all of us: https://www.nyhcampaign.org/january2021action

In the middle of the deadliest pandemic in recent history, private health insurance corporations are making record profits, while tens of thousands of New Yorkers die, lose income, can’t afford rent, and struggle to pay unaffordable medical bills. The COVID-19 pandemic puts everyone at risk, but B...

01/26/2021

💗

01/23/2021

Instacart is firing every employee who voted to unionize

Possible alternative - Dumpling, which is an app that matches you directly with a shopper https://shop.dumpling.us/shoppers/14213

From their about us -
"A single, relentless question put us on the path that led to building dumpling: What can we do to help more people gain greater control, autonomy, and flexibility over the way they work?

When we set out to find an answer, we didn’t know we’d eventually be taking on the gig economy. But that’s where the question led - directly to the thousands of independent contractors who felt underpaid, exploited, and taken for granted by on-demand grocery delivery apps. We realized that the only thing standing between these workers and the ability to start their own personal shopping and delivery companies was access to the right technology. So we built it for them."

Instacart is shutting down some of its in-store operations in favor of curbside pickups amid the coronavirus pandemic.