Fast for the Forgotten
New York State’s day laborers, domestic workers, laundry workers, sex workers, street vendors, deliveristas, & other excluded workers need your support!
The Fund For Excluded Workers Coalition is planning a hunger strike in White Plains and New York City to pressure elected officials not only to create a fund for excluded workers but also to ask for at least $4.6 Billion so that families excluded from financial relief due to pandemic can survive the pandemic.
Over 1 million New Yorkers -- immigrants and people of color -- are excluded from unemployment relief during the COVID crisis. Coronavirus has been twice as deadly for Black and Latinx communities as for White communities in NYC.
9 out of 10 surveyed immigrant Black and Brown New Yorkers reported job or income loss in their household during the pandemic. Immigrant and Black New Yorkers are also disproportionately employed in “essential sectors” increasing their exposure to the coronavirus.
Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are BLOCKED from receiving unemployment benefits and other forms of emergency income relief, like federal stimulus checks
· 500,000 undocumented New Yorkers are completely shut out of unemployment benefits despite contributing over $140 million annually in Unemployment taxes.
· Nearly 40,000 New Yorkers were released from incarceration before or during the pandemic with little-to-no chances of finding a job, and are excluded from unemployment benefits because they must have lost jobs to qualify.
· Workers, like those in informal employment sectors, who cannot report sufficient earnings or a job lost because of COVID-19 are also denied access to unemployment benefits.
Without access to income replacement assistance, hundreds of thousands of Excluded New York Workers face hunger, eviction and financial peril.
New York State must create a $4.6 billion Excluded Worker Fund to provide direct income assistance akin to unemployment to these families. The legislature must pass the 6 revenue raisers included in the Invest in Our New York package to tax the rich and fund the poor.
Excluded workers are launching a hunger strike on March 18th to send a clear message to Albany:
Governor Cuomo, the Senate, and the Assembly must include the Excluded Worker Fund in the state budget by April 1st.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?
Fasting & Striker Sign Up Form :
This is where impacted members, elected officials, faith leaders, allies and solidarity fasters can sign up for the rolling fast and strike - you can mark your availabilities.
Strikers staying inside the host space must take a COVID test prior to participation, and commit to a minimum of two nights and three full days.
Activities + Volunteer Sign Up Form
This is where organizations can include an action proposal in support of strikers, and on legislative targets.
Please include a short description including:
- Theme of Action ( housing, education, workers, etc.)
- Targets
- Messaging
- Contact Info
