But all is not lost. We have more than a week left in the legislative session and important reforms on the table that could expand access to quality, affordable health care for 75,000 low-income adults in CT. Hundreds of thousands of individuals and small businesses are depending on us. PLEASE take the time to call your Senator today!

Urge them to pass the State Basic Health Program (HB 5450) now:

• Quality, affordable health coverage for 75,000 low-income adults
• ZERO cost to the state! (paid for by federal government, but only if we pass it this session)

Find out whose side YOUR Senator is on: Insurance giants like CIGNA that rake in profits while denying care and blocking reform, or families and small business who have to fight for access to health care! See FaceBook or www.healthcare4every1.org for info. Thank you for standing up for health care for all!

On April 25th, hundreds of activists from across the state poured into Hartford to protest corporate welfare and the exclusionary health care system that puts corporate profits before human needs.

CCNE and members of the Interfaith Fellowship for Universal Health Care joined forces with 99% activists, the Connecticut Alliance for a Fair Economy, labor leaders and hundreds of healthcare4every1 advocates to speakout against the Insurance Industry’s efforts to block health  reform as well as state leaders’ failure to take meaningful action. Since the Insurance Industry is blocking people’s access to health care, activists attempted to block access to the CIGNA shareholders meeting.

The CIGNA protest was held in conjunction with health care actions at the Capitol -including 30 constituent meetings with Senators. Fed up with broken promises and delays, residents from throughout Connecticut showed up to push elected representatives to stand up to corporate lobbyists and defy efforts to destroy much-needed health care reforms, such as the State Basic Health Program.

At their 2010 stockholder meeting, CIGNA was forced to acknowledge funneling $86 million through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to block our access to health care and oppose meaningful reform. Then, in 2011 Governor Malloy gave CIGNA $50 million in taxpayer money for promising to create 200 jobs (just as they turned around and laid off thousands, resulting in net job loss). 400,000 people have no health coverage, yet our elected leaders not only refuse to take action to expand access to health care, they’re actually throwing buckets of taxpayer money -OUR money- at our opponents.

If the administration cares about “job creation” then it should be investing in the biggest growth sector: health care. Proposed health care reforms like medical homes, a Public Option, and the State Basic Health Program would create thousands of jobs and control costs while saving lives.

Outside the CIGNA shareholders’ meeting Interfaith Fellowship activist Rev. Dave Nelson got arrested, along with eleven others. Fellowship co-chair Rev. Damaris Whittaker went into the shareholders’ meeting as a proxy voter and spoke out against CIGNA’s immorality -in terms of their role in blocking access to health care, and in rewarding their CEO mightily for doing so.  Rev. Whittaker, John Murphy (of CCAG),  and Julie Kushner (of the United Auto Workers) were the only shareholders to ask questions in the meeting – during which CEO David Cordani’s 25%, $12.5 million pay increase was approved despite resistance.

Press Coverage of April 25th:

1. Courant: Protestors Criticize CIGNA executive’s pay, Money spent to squash Health-Care Reform
2. CT News Junkie: Advocates Take on CIGNA
3. UCC News: Health Care Advocates Urge Reform to Legislators and Stockholders

A jobs funnel or “pipeline” that connects New Haven residents to good jobs was identified as a top priority at CCNE’s December 3^rd City-Wide Community Leaders meeting. 

Thank you everyone for sharing your thoughts and experiences and giving feedback on our vision for a grassroots transformation of New Haven!

Progress towards the creation of a Jobs Pipeline:

This January the Board of Aldermen unanimously supported a legislative agenda that includes the jobs pipeline, and established a working group of key stakeholders – community leaders, employers, city officials, foundations and other stakeholders – to create a strategy to develop the pipeline.

We’re excited to work together to turn the vision of inclusive prosperity into a Jobs Pipeline that meets the needs of residents, employers, taxpayers and youth, while helping to address New Haven’s most pressing problems.

At a Public Hearing on April 10th, residents flooded the Aldermanic chambers to speak out on the need for good jobs and opportunities for youth. The unemployed, elected officials, youth, educators, union leaders, and members of the business community voiced support for establishing a jobs pipeline in the city. Several community leaders described the Jobs Pipeline as a public safety and crime-reduction strategy.

What will it take?

For a jobs pipeline to succeed at addressing the problems of unemployment, underemployment and violence in New Haven it must do more than provide training and support services. It must also connect people to actual jobs -good, sustainable jobs. This will take a vocal and organized community. We hope you will continue to be part of this process going forward because we can’t win the BIG changes our communities need without you!

The next step? on April 25^th let’s take to the streets by the thousands in support of good jobs and strong communities for all! We’ve reached a turning point in our city’s history and we can’t let this opportunity to create far-reaching change pass up by.

We have the vision, we have solutions and we’re going to fight to make inclusive prosperity for all a reality. . .starting this year.

So, if you believe a real “renaissance” is possible then don’t stay home, don’t keep quiet – get in the streets  and make your voice heard! Join fellow students, union members, retirees, clergy and community members from across the city:

But in order to overcome opposition and make sure we get these important, commonsense reforms passed we need YOU to contact your legislator and tell them to pass Election Day Registration and online registration, via HB 5024. Enter your address to find your legislators’ names, phone numbers, and email addresses: http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/cgafindleg.asp.

Several important election and voting modernization reforms have been proposed in the Connecticut General Assembly this year. Election Day Registration (EDR), online voter registration, and amending the state’s constitution to allow “no excuse” absentee voting are three proposals to increase voter participation and make registration and voting more accessible -particularly for low participation and disenfranchised groups like the poor, elderly and disabled residents, students and minorities.CCNE Board member Prof. Bilal Sekou spoke in favor of these proposed reforms at a press conference with Governor Malloy and Secretary of the State Denise Merrill. Read Dr. Sekou’s compelling remarks from the press conference, along with reasons for supporting these important proposed reforms on his blog: http://www.racialdiscoursect.com/2012/01/preserving-voting-rights-and-expanding.html

A number of states already have Election Day Registration and online registration in place. These innovations have proven highly successful at increasing participation – in fact states with EDR have seen voter turnout increase by 12% – 15%! In 2008, states that allowed registration on Election day led the nation in voter turnout. The right to vote and the free and fair exercise of voting rights by all eligible voters are fundamental principles of our democracy. In the past year and a half, however, we have witnessed a disturbing assault on the constitutional right to vote. Legislation has been introduced in more than 30 states and already passed in at least seven states requiring voters to present current government-issued photo identification. Photo identification requirements, proof of citizenship to register, attacks on third party voter registration, and reductions in early voting days all serve to disenfranchise certain voters. These oppressive requirements and restrictions place an undue burden, which falls most heavily on the poor and people of color – populations that are already more likely to be disenfranchised.Amidst widespread right-wing voter suppression efforts, Connecticut has an opportunity to buck the trend and lead the way forward by enacting Election Day and online registration, through House Bill 5024. Claims that EDR and other modernizations would increase fraud are thoroughly unsubstantiated. Several studies and investigations – including a five-year investiagtion by President George W. Bush’s Justice Department - indicate that voter fraud in the United States is negligible. And there is no evidence that EDR leads to fraud. These claims not only distract from the real issues, but do something more sinister: justify harmful policies that could disenfranchise millions of legitimate voters.For more on the benefits of EDR, take a look at testimony submitted by Dēmos in favor of HB 5024: http://www.demos.org/publication/testimony-support-same-day-registration-connecticut-steven-carbo

Since 2005, however, there has been an effort by SEIU to address this injustice by enabling the workers to unionize. That effort was helped along by two executive orders issued in September 2011 by Gov. Dannel Malloy. One order pertained to personal care attendants who work for seniors and people with disabilities and who are paid through state programs; the other order outlined the process for family child care workers to elect a union to represent them in non-binding discussions that could include compensation, training, the quality and availability of family child care, and improving recruitment and retention of child care providers. (See Arielle Levin Baker’s 12/20/11 article in the CT Mirror for more on this).

Hundreds of experts and advocates for family child care workers and personal care attendants packed a hearing room at the legislative office building until after 10 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13th for a Public Hearing before the Labor and Public Employees Committee.  CCNE activists, board members and organizers, including Imam Kashif Abdul-Karim, Rabbi Donna Berman, Peggy Buchanan, Rev. Victor Gomez, Rev. Abraham Hernandez, Renae Reese and Prof. Louise Simmons, waited hours to testify in support of proposed laws that would grant these workers the right to bargain collectively for better wages and benefits.  Another board member, Dan Durant, submitted written testimony.

As Imam Abdul-Karim said, “Home health care workers and home child care workers are doing God’s work. They are taking care of the elderly, of babies, of people with disabilities.  The care of the elderly and our children should be a priority, at the top of the ladder.”

Unfortunately, the specific collective bargaining bills introduced this session did not make it out of committee as the clock ran out before they could be brought to a vote. But the fight is not over. Along with our allies, we will continue to fight for personal care attendants -and for all workers- to win the right to organize. Please stay tuned.

Testimony of Rabbi Donna Berman, Executive Director, Charter Oak Cultural Center:

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.  My name is Rabbi Donna Berman.  I am the Executive Director of the Charter Oak Cultural Center here in Hartford.  Much of the Cultural Center’s artistic programming, I’m proud to say, confronts barriers faced by women and that is why I felt compelled to come and address you today, in support of SB 352 and HB 5433.

I am thankful that we have public funding for child care for low-wage workers, most of them women, and thankful that Medicaid funding is available for seniors and people with disabilities so that they can be supported and cared for in their homes.  These two programs reflect the highest values of our society and our desire to nurture those in our community who, with help, can do a lot for themselves.  They can live with dignity, respect and independence.  Built into these noble programs, however, is a terrible injustice.   These workers, most of them women, most of them women of color, who care for our loved ones (is there anything more important than that?), are not honored and rewarded for their vital work but are, in fact, condemned to a life of poverty.  These workers, most of them women, most of them women of color, some of whom leave their own children and their own aging parents, to provide for the parents and children of others, are paid little and have virtually no power to change their situation.  This kind of unjust treatment, this kind of oppression has a long history, going back to slavery and to the Jim Crow south, when African Americans were forced to abandon their own children to take care of white families.

SB 352 and HB 5433 eliminate barriers to improvements in the livelihood of home health care and child care workers by enabling them to engage in collective bargaining.    By successfully advocating for themselves, they will be able to improve their working conditions and, therefore, ultimately the quality of care they provide, so that clients and children, about whom these workers care deeply, will benefit as well from this state investment in the well-being of all.

Through performance and visual art at the Charter Oak Cultural Center we often expose and address injustice.  We bring the message of the dispossessed throughout the world to our performance space and to our galleries.  Today I traveled just a few blocks from the Charter Oak to speak to an injustice happening right here in Connecticut.  There are child care and home health care workers throughout the state, but most of them live in the poorest towns, with the majority here, in Hartford.  These bills will have a positive impact on our entire community.

The most important thing you can do to mitigate economic, gender and racial inequality this session is to pass SB 352 and HB 5433.

You have before you a rare chance to uproot a centuries-old injustice.  Few pieces of legislation, few legislators are poised to make that kind of a difference in so many people’s lives.  Please, I urge you to seize this opportunity.   Thank you.

To shed light on the urgent need for change, members of the Interfaith Fellowship for Universal Health Care prayed for those who are suffering without health care, and for those who have literally lost their lives because they could not afford the care they desperately needed. Fellowship leaders delivered a basket filled with the names of their family members, friends, neighbors, and congregants who have suffered and died due to a lack of health coverage to Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman (who chairs the Cabinet).

Rev. Dave Nelson and Rev. Sonia Gutierrez deliver the names of people who have died or who are currently suffering due to lack of access to the health care they desperately need to Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman.

Outside the entrance to the room where the SustiNet Cabinet was meeting, Interfaith Fellowship co-chairs Rev. Damaris Whittaker and Rev. Josh Pawelek gave a Eulogy for Those Who Lost Their Lives because they didn’t have quality, affordable, accessible health care. You can read the full Eulogy on Rev Josh Pawelek’s blog.

The SustiNet Cabinet is charged with creating a business plan for “alternatives to private insurance,” including the Public Option. With 400,000 residents of CT without access to health care and many small businesses and municipalities crippled by the cost of insurance, it’s clear our system is broken; fixing a problem of this magnitude will require a large-scale, coordinated, public response. The public option IS the pathway to do that – to bring healing to people across the state and end gross racial and ethnic disparities.

The SustiNet Cabinet can open that pathway. The Interfaith Fellowship for Universal Health Care (IFUHC) delivered this message, urging Cabinet members to see their duties through until we have health care for all.

Interfaith Fellowship activists at the January 10th, 2012 SustiNet Cabinet meeting prayer vigil

Find out more:

One of America’s Most Influential Faith Leaders Calls on Latinos to Unite for Social Justice

On February 25, 220 Hispanic Religious leaders from across Connecticut gathered at the Omni Hotel in New Haven to hear Rev. Samuel Rodriguez speak about the need for Latinos to unite for social justice. The Interfaith Fellowship for Universal Health Care invited Rev. Rodriguez, an inspirational leader for the Hispanic Evangelical movement, to speak on issues that disproportionately affect their communities. Rev. Rodriguez called on the religious leaders in the room to take a more active stand in addressing issues such as economic disparities and health care for all.

As the leading spokesperson for Hispanic Evangelicals, Rev. Rodriguez has been a featured speaker in White House and Congressional meetings on Hispanic-American issues and justice concerns. He is President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, America’s largest Hispanic Christian Organization with 30,621 member churches.

(U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy, Juan Figueroa, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, Rev. Dr. Moses Mercedes, and Rev. Abraham Hernandez. Photo courtesy of  Oscar Santa Cruz)

The Interfaith Fellowship for Universal Health Care – a multiracial, multicultural group of religious leaders of diverse faith traditions- hosted the event because it is imperative to meet the health care crisis.  400,000 individuals are left without insurance in CT, most of them people of color.

Rev. Abraham Hernandez, co-chair of the Interfaith Fellowship for Universal Health Care, accepted Rev. Rodriguez’s call to action. “Why should thousands of our people be denied the care they need? Are we not also children of God? Do we deserve life…do we deserve health care any less than our wealthy brethren? By working for health care for all I am saying it is wrong -it is sinful- to treat people unequally when we are all equal in the eyes of God. It goes against our faith and it is destroying our communities,” Hernandez said.

As a faith leader, Bishop Manuel Caban says he is called to save more than just souls. “As Pastors we are called to save souls, but we are also called to save lives. Many people in my community do not have health care. They work two, sometimes three jobs to put food on the table, to provide for their children,” he said. “But they can’t afford to see a doctor. When someone gets sick we pray for them, we collect donations to pay their hospital bills, we give all we can as a church. But it is not always enough. That is why we must unite! We must call on our state’s leaders to remedy this cruel situation.”

“We believe together, we pray together. So why should we suffer alone, in silence? When we see unjust laws and immoral systems we must also come together,” stated Rev. Dr. Moses Mercedes of the Prince of Peace Church in Bridgeport. “When the immoral health care system subjects our people to higher rates of preventable illness, when medical debt keeps us from rising out of poverty, when our loved ones die because they can’t afford treatment -we MUST not suffer alone, in silence. We must take action –together!”

———————————————————————————————————————————–

Uno de los líderes religiosos más influyentes de Estados Unidos hace un llamado a la comunidad latina para unirse por la justicia social

25 de febrero– 220 líderes religiosos hispanos provenientes de toda la extensión del estado de Connecticut se reunieron en el Omni Hotel para escuchar al Rev. Samuel Rodríguez hablar sobre la necesidad de que la comunidad latina se una por la justicia social. Interfaith Fellowship for Universal Health Care invitó al Rev. Rodríguez, inspirador líder del movimiento Evangélico hispano, para que hablara sobre asuntos que afectan de manera desproporcionada a sus comunidades. El Rev. Rodríguez hizo un llamado a los líderes religiosos presentes a que adopten una postura más activa para tratar asuntos como las disparidades económicas y los servicios de salud para todas las personas.

Como el principal portavoz de Evangélicos hispanos, el Rev. Rodríguez ha sido un orador destacado en la Casa Blanca y en reuniones del Congreso con respecto a asuntos concernientes a la comunidad hispano-americana y cuestiones de justicia. Es Presidente de la Conferencia Nacional de Liderazgo Cristiano Hispano (National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference), la Asociación Evangélica Hispana (the Hispanic Evangelical Association), es decir, la mayor organización cristiana hispana de Estados Unidos, integrada por 30,621 iglesias.

(Rev. Samuel Rodriguez fires up the crowd. Photo courtesy of Oscar Santa Cruz)

Interfaith Fellowship for Universal Health Care, un grupo multirracial y multicultural de líderes religiosos con diversas tradiciones religiosas, organizó el evento porque es imperativo resolver la crisis de salud.  En CT, 400,000 personas no tienen seguro médico, la mayoría gente de color.

El Rev. Abraham Hernández, co-presidente del Interfaith Fellowship for Universal Health Care, aceptó el llamado a la acción del Rev. Rodríguez. “¿Por qué negar a miles de personas los servicios que necesitan? ¿Acaso no somos también hijos de Dios? ¿Acaso somos menos merecedores de la vida…o de los servicios de salud que nuestros hermanos adinerados? Al trabajar por los servicios de salud para todas las personas, estoy diciendo que está mal, que es un pecado, no tratar a todas las personas por igual cuando todos somos iguales ante los ojos de Dios. Esto va en contra de nuestra fe y está destruyendo a nuestras comunidades”, dijo Hernández.

Obispo Manuel Cabán dice que es llamado para salvar más que tan solo almas. “Como pastores somos llamados para salvar almas, pero también para salvar vidas. Muchas personas en mi comunidad no reciben servicios de salud. Trabajan dos y a veces tres trabajos, para poner comida en la mesa, para mantener a sus hijos”, dijo él. “Pero no pueden pagar por los servicios de un médico. Cuando alguien se enferma, rezamos por esa persona; recolectamos donaciones para pagar sus facturas hospitalarias; damos todo lo que podemos como iglesia. Pero no siempre es suficiente. ¡Por eso debemos unirnos! Debemos instar a los líderes de nuestro estado a que resuelvan esta cruel situación.”

“Si creemos juntos y oramos juntos, ¿por qué debemos sufrir solos, en silencio? Cuando vemos leyes injustas y sistemas inmorales, también debemos unirnos”, afirmó el Rev. Dr. Mosés Mercedes de la Iglesia Prince of Peace, en Bridgeport. “Cuando el sistema de salud inmoral sujeta a nuestra gente a tasas más altas de enfermedades evitables, cuando las deudas médicas nos impiden salir de la pobreza, cuando nuestros seres queridos mueren porque no pueden pagar por tratamiento médico, NO DEBEMOS sufrir solos, en silencio. ¡Debemos tomar acción, juntos!”

http://www.thenation.com/article/165867/new-hope-new-haven-connecticut

“New Hope for New Haven, Connecticut”

January 25, 2012

Paul Bass, The Nation

(Here’s a sneak preview:)

“In the past two decades the city has made advances in immigration policy, revived its downtown core, encouraged a vibrant arts community and, until the mid-aughts, developed a nationally recognized community policing program. …

Despite that progress, interest and participation in local democracy has withered in New Haven, as it has in so many cities where federally funded patronage has dried up. …

Nor have the recent advances made much of a dent in the city’s high poverty and unemployment rates, largely dependent on decisions by state and national lawmakers and corporations. The most enduring poverty-prevention effort of the past three decades has probably been the unionization of Yale’s pink-collar workers and their subsequent success in a series of strikes. That union, Local 34 of UNITE HERE (whose international represents workers in textile, manufacturing, hotel, food service and other fields), now has some 3,500 members. Combined with the roughly 1,000-member blue-collar Local 35, the Yale unions have preserved living wages and good benefits for a big chunk of the city. And they’ve developed into the largest organized political force independent of City Hall. …

Meanwhile, often below the radar, Yale’s unions and their nonelectoral policy spinoff, the Connecticut Center for a New Economy, have built an independent base and started to craft an independent agenda. Since 2004 CCNE has launched grassroots initiatives on social, economic and voting issues as well as a Civic Leadership Institute. Union members and allies have knocked on tens of thousands of doors and have pulled together survey data on the issues people care about. All that work, along with some unconventional strategy, paid off in last fall’s municipal elections.”

Interfaith Fellowship for Universal Health Care, healthcare4every1, and allies in the movement for health care justice descended on the Capitol with a message for Governor Malloy (whose recent State of the State address made no mention of health care despite 2012 being the key year for states to put federal reform in place) “Don’t give all your LOVE to the insurance industry – save some for the the people!”

On Tuesday, February 14th the Interfaith Fellowship for Universal Health Care led a “Love Ambush” action & prayer vigil to remind state leaders that this is a crucial year for health care reform and the people of CT are relying on them to get it right. Frustrated by lack attention to the moral and economic crisis that is our broken health care system, the Faith leaders called on Governor Malloy and legislators to address the “Love Deficit” and “Share the Health” with all. They called for more to be done in 2012 to expand access to health care and eliminate racial and ethnic disparities.

During a moving, impassioned  vigil outside the SustiNet Cabinet meeting numerous clergy took turns leading prayers. (See below for video of Rev. Victor Gomez’s prayer, interpreted from Spanish into English by Rev. Abraham Hernandez, and check out Rev. Josh Pawelek’s blog story about the action). Clad in red and carrying banners, flowers, streamers, and handmade posters and signs, the Fellowship departed the SustiNet Cabinet meeting and led a “bleeding hearts” procession to the Office of the Governor, where they delivered hundreds of “Valentines.”  These messages of love -many made by church youth groups- called on the governor to do more to address gross inequalities and disparities in health care.

“We are standing here today because we believe in love. We believe all God’s children deserve love. We call on Governor Malloy to remember those who are being shut out, discriminated against, and kept down by the health care system. We call on him to show love for the people of Connecticut; to use his tremendous power to bring healing to the people of Connecticut. Now is the time to for boldness,” said Interfaith Fellowship co-chair Pastor Abraham Hernandez.

Rev. Josh Pawelek called on the governor and SustiNet Cabinet to do more to ensure health care for all. “Any serious health reform plan needs to include a state-sponsored public health care option. Such an option would increase consumer choice and access, control -and even reduce- health care costs,” he said. “Our Valentine’s Day wish? Take the public health care option seriously. It matters to Connecticut’s residents. Show us the love, Gov.!”

“This isn’t just a matter of politics and economics. This is a matter of deeply-held, spiritually grounded, faith-based conviction. As people of faith we are called by the Holy power in our lives to love our neighbors. We are called to work for the health and well-being of our fellow human beings – to be compassionate and caring. We are called, therefore, to work for a just health care system in our state and in our nation,” Pawelek said.

Check out these local stories on the December 6th Rally:

• “Protesters march in New Haven against joblessness, violence (video),” New Haven Register

• “Unions, Occupiers march for jobs and safety,” New Haven Independent

• “Unions and Occupiers march on City Hall,” Yale Daily News

December 13, 2011

Thomas MacMillan, New Haven Independent:

After she was burned the last time, Helen Martin-Dawson said she’s prepared to work to make sure new developments in town come with an enforceable promise of good jobs for her neighbors in the Hill..

Martin-Dawson (at right in photo) said as much Tuesday evening as she helped officially release a new report from Connecticut Center For A New Economy (CCNE), a grassroots coalition of labor, clergy, and community activists.

The report, entitled “A Renaissance For All Of Us: Building an Inclusive Prosperity for New Haven,” comes just over a week after an “grassroots agenda”-setting CCNE meeting that laid out its main points. And it comes just three weeks before a raft of new union-backed aldermen are set to take office, many of whom are affiliated with CCNE and Yale’s unions.

The document, the result of years of community data collection by CCNE, presents a problem that faces New Haven, and points the way to possible solutions. Read it here.

The problem: While parts of New Haven have experienced a “renaissance” in recent years—downtown, medical and education sectors—the benefits have not been shared equally. Several parts of New Haven—mostly African-American and Latino neighborhoods—have still not recovered from the departure of manufacturing jobs, and the new investments in the city have not helped lift them up, the report argues.

(Read the full article here)

“New Economic Report calls for ‘Renaissance’ for all of New Haven”

December 12, 2011

Abbe Smith, New Haven Register

The Connecticut Center for a New Economy on Monday released a report 10 years in the making that sets the framework for what the nonprofit calls a “renaissance for all of us.”

The theme of the report is extending the city’s “renaissance” to all sections of the city including underserved places such as Newhallville and the Hill and connecting residents with good jobs.

“We hope that as we move forward with this renaissance, that it ends up creating better quality of life for all of New Haven,” said the Rev. Scott Marks, a founding member of CCNE.

The report draws statistics from the federal Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics and takes ideas gleaned from thousands of interviews of city residents as part of CCNE’s Community Voter Project. CCNE is a labor-backed nonprofit organization that advocates for economic and social well-being for working families. The report, which highlights inequality in the city, lays out a “Grassroots Community Agenda” for achieving change in the areas of job creation, economic development, access to affordable health care, education reform, affordable housing and more. It recommends three main tools for change: community benefits agreements and community impact reports for major development projects, and a comprehensive “jobs pipeline” program to include workforce training that results in solid employment, not minimum wage jobs.

The release of the report comes just weeks before the makeup of the Board of Aldermen dramatically changes to a very labor-friendly majority. Many of the people who knocked on doors for CCNE’s Community Voter Project knocked on those same doors when they were running for aldermen in the recent election. A CCNE community meeting on Dec. 3 to talk about neighborhood issues and set priorities drew hundreds of residents and dozens of elected officials.

(Read the full article here)