The Challenge Ahead of Us

On behalf of the 2.5 million members of the New York State AFL-CIO I want to wish everyone in the New York State legislature and all labor representatives who work in Albany a healthy and Happy New Year. Given the circumstances of the ongoing heath crisis caused by the pandemic and the disastrous effect that it has had on our economy, our jobs and the state budget, it would be an understatement to say we have challenging times ahead.

The ongoing chaos and incompetence from the Trump administration has not only worsened the effects of the pandemic, causing further economic harm, it is fueling flames of division, violence and outright insurrection. We clearly have our work cut out for us.

The labor movement is no stranger to strife, but if there is one thing that we all have learned, it is that only by working together can we overcome the many challenges we face. As long as we work together there is reason to be optimistic. There is a new vaccine, a new President and there is new hope.

Our members have been at the forefront of fighting this virus and making sure we have access to the vital services we all depend on. Our top priority in 2021 will be to protect these essential workers by keeping them safe on the job and supporting the families of those workers who have died as a result of this pandemic.

Preserving vital public services and getting workers who have lost their jobs back to work will also be a dominant theme in the coming session. We will reject attempts to slash services and we will work to ensure we rebuild our economy to help all working families in a fair and equitable way.

And we will reject all forms of intolerance, racism and violence. We cannot fully recover, in terms of health policy, economic policy or as a society unless everyone in all of our communities benefits.  

Our 2021 legislative agenda reflects these values and priorities. Details on how we intend to address these issues are available here.

https://nysaflcio.org/2021-legislative-agenda

I hope you take a moment to review these issues and we look forward to working with everyone.

Mario Cilento, President