Espinal Supports New Electric MTA Busses
New York City Council Member Rafael Espinal (D-Bed-Stuy, Brownsville, Bushwick, Crown Heights, Cypress Hills, and East New York) is celebrating the first rollout of electric buses from the MTA this past weekend.
“This is a monumental commitment from the City. The people of New York — and particularly those in lower-income neighborhoods — bear the brunt of the exposure from diesel buses every day,” said Espinal. “For tens of thousands of us, this can lead to health problems and other illnesses that are life-altering, and entirely preventable. Electrifying our city’s bus fleet is a clear step that we need to take and I’m proud to stand by the MTA in their rollout of electric buses ahead of the holiday season. We as New Yorkers, and as commuters, have the right to breathe clean air while in transit. I commend this step taken in NYC’s commitment to an all-electric fleet by 2040.”
The new rollout of all-electric buses will save an estimated eight-thousand gallons of fuel per year. Espinal most recently pushed for funding of an all-electric bus pilot program for the city’s school buses, alongside the Department of Education (DOE). The all-electric buses are a part of a three-year pilot program launched in 2018, a landmark in New York City’s legacy of protecting its citizens and its surrounding environment.
Southern Brooklyn Democrats Host Holiday Party & Membership Drive
New York City Council Member Mark Treyger (D-Bath Beach, Bensonhurst, Coney Island, Gravesend, Sea Gate) and new President of The Southern Brooklyn Democrats, Dionne Brown-Jordan, are hosting a Holiday Party and Membership Drive tonight.
At a successful meeting last month that was attended by over 150 community members from across Southern Brooklyn, it was announced that the club was under new leadership, merging with a group of politically active and engaged community members interested in organizing.
Guests can enjoy FREE pizza and refreshments while learning everything they need to know about Southern Brooklyn Democrats and how they can join and make a positive impact in their communities.
Join the holiday party at 7 p.m. tonight, Tuesday, Dec. 17 at Tom’s Coney Island, 1229 Riegelmann Boardwalk, on the Coney Island Boardwalk.
Lander’s Underground Safety Worker Legislation Moves Forward
New York City Council Member Brad Lander (D-Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Columbia Waterfront, Gowanus, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington) sponsored legislation that calls for codifying fair pay, benefits, and training for utility workers. Underground safety workers testified Monday before the New York City Council Transportation Committee in favor of legislation to codify fair scheduling requirements and safety training for utility workers.
“Unstable schedules, uncompensated on-call time, and unfair conditions put these utility workers and the public safety of New Yorkers at risk,” said Lander. “Utility safety workers perform essential functions for our neighborhoods and cannot do their jobs well when they suffer from lack of sleep, disruptions in the time-off with family, insufficient pay, and inadequate training.”
The legislation was prompted by unsafe and unfair working conditions facing workers for the United States Infrastructure Company (USIC), a multi-billion dollar, multi-national corporation that performs underground utility location and damage prevention services for utility companies including Con Edison and National Grid. Intro 946-A would prohibit abusive “on-call” scheduling for utility workers and require advance notice of work schedules. Intro 947 would require certification of safety training for these workers before the City provides street permits.
USIC workers, who are contracted by utility companies National Grid and Con Edison, perform essential work that prevents street drilling from disrupting water lines, electricity, and dangerous gas line explosions. They are often required to be on call for 24-hours at a time, even though the overwhelming majority of their work is in routine, non-emergency situations, and they receive insufficient training, dynamics that are both harmful to worker’s lives and to public safety.
Montgomery’s Credit Union Bill Signed Into Law
State Senator Velmanette Montgomery (D-Fort Greene, Boerum Hill, Red Hook, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Sunset Park, Gowanus, Park Slope) sponsored a Credit Union Bill (S727-A/A3320-Zebrowski) that was signed into law last week. Under this new law, credit unions can participate in the Banking Development District (BDD) program, making them eligible to receive up to $10 million in subsidized deposits from the state of New York to encourage lending in underserved communities.
“There are entire communities across our state where major banking institutions are nowhere to be found to provide financial services. This leaves residents, many of whom are already low income, to deal with operations that charge exorbitant fees and interest rates,” said Montgomery. “I believe in credit unions and I believe in the role they can play in making sure more New Yorkers have access to quality, local financial institutions that reinvest in communities.”
The BDD program was enacted to incentivize banks to locate branches in communities designated as underserved by the Department of Financial Services. Many of these areas have few to no banking institutions and instead have to rely on alternative, costly and sometimes predatory options to fill in the gaps.
There are 355 credit unions in New York, serving over 5 million members and they are uniquely positioned to advance the goals of the BDD program. Credit unions are nonprofit, locally owned institutions that answer to their members. They make less risky investments and earnings are returned to their members through lower interest rates on loans and more favorable rates on savings and retirement accounts. Their structure makes them highly responsive to the needs of their clients and they prioritize being present and giving back to the communities they serve.
