De Blasio Town Hall In Jamaica Tonight
Mayor Bill de Blasio will be in our neck of the woods tonight for a town hall with the residents of Jamaica, Richmond Hill, Rochdale Village, South Jamaica, and South Ozone Park.
He will be joined by our local pols, State Senator James Sanders (D-Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park), U.S. Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (D-Queens), Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and Assembly Member Vivian E. Cook (D-South Jamaica, Rochdale).
The town hall is at 7:30pm tonight at August Martin High School, 156-10 Baisley Blvd, Jamaica NY, 11434.
Lancman To Call For Workers’ Legal Protection
City Councilmember Rory Lancman (D-Kew Gardens Hill, Fresh Meadows, Hillcrest) will take to the steps of City Hall this morning to call for funding to support legal services for low-wage workers facing wage-theft, discrimination, and other workplace violations.
The National Employment Law Project (NELP) found in 2008 that these types of workplace violations are widespread and severe in New York City.
“Denying workers the salary or benefits they have earned makes it much more difficult for families to make ends meet and exacerbates the income inequality problem that already plagues our city,” said a Lancman press release.
According to the 2016 Office of Criminal Justice annual report, the city’s overall investment in civil legal services exceeded $100 million in the fiscal year 2017. However, most of the services for low-income residents were for housing, eviction, and immigration.
The two city initiatives that help low-income folks are Legal Services for Low-Income New Yorkers and Legal Services for the Working Poor, and they have a combined budget of $7.4 million — a fraction of which goes toward representation for employment and worker’s rights, according to Lancman.
Lancman will be joined by the Legal Aid Society, Legal Services NYC, Urban Justice Project, Make the Road New York, and representatives from labor unions for the press conference at city hall, which will take place at 9:20am.
Dromm To Join LGBT Union Members In Day of Action
City Councilmember Daniel Dromm (D-Elmhurst, Jackson Heights), will join LGBT rights activist Cleve Jones and members of the UNITE HERE Local 100 union to announce the union’s upcoming Day of Action, a rally and march of men and women of the labor force and their allies.
The announcement will be this afternoon on the steps of City Hall at 2pm.
Dromm cited the current White House administration’s targeting of Muslims, immigrants and other groups for the rise of actions across the country. Dromm says the target is now on the labor movement.
“We are at a tipping point in American history where we will either stand together and win or stay divided and lose,” Dromm said in a press release.
The Union Day of Action will be on October 19 from 3pm to 6pm at 6th Avenue and 47th Street. There will be a rally followed by a march up 6th Avenue ending at Trump International Hotel.
Van Bramer to Rename Queens Blvd and 40th Street
City Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Long Island City, Astoria) will rename the intersection of Queens Boulevard and 40th Street this weekend after Lily Gavin, a neighborhood icon who passed away last summer.
The ceremony will take place outside of Dazie’s Restaurant, which used to be owned by Gavin, at 2pm on Saturday, October 21. Refreshments will be served at the restaurant after the ceremony.
Folks can RSVP at JBernatovicz@council.nyc.gov or 718-383-9566. The event is free and open to all.
