Environmental Justice Working Group

The EJWG will hear from NY Renews, the 300+ member NY State climate justice coalition, learn about CUNY’s decarbonization plans, and discuss PSC’s EJ contract demands..  Please join with colleagues and find out how we can advance these agendas together. For more information please contact [email protected].  All are welcome!

We will get a snapshot view of what NY State, CUNY and PSC are doing on environmental justice and how to advance this work.

1. NY Renews is the NY State climate justice coalition of over 300 organizations (including NYSUT and PSC) that delivered the ground-breaking Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act and is working to translate that legislation into action.  Stephan Edel, Exec. Dir. of NY Renews will update us on what NY Renews is doing now and how we can plug in.

2. CUNY management is beginning to work on decarbonization but it has been a bit of a hush-hush effort.  We’ll talk about how we can make that effort transparent and move it as aggressively as possible.

3. The PSC is formulating bargaining demands for the new contract and EJ demands are in the mix.  We’ll discuss the process by which contract demands are incorporated and how we can reach into our chapters and networks to advance those demands.

4. We’ll begin to brainstorm together on how we can engage our siblings in the PSC to join our work on Environmental Justice–in chapter meetings, in labor management meetings, with  colleagues and students. How can we utilize both the contract campaign and the CUNY decarbonization plan (when it finally comes out) to gather interest and power? This conversation will be continued in a “Next Steps” mini-retreat for the EJWG, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 5:30-7 pm on zoom.  Details and zoom link to follow.

Please share this with colleagues and friends who you think might be interested.  Please let your chapter chair know you are going to EJWG meetings and are interested in advancing this work.

Zoom link for 10/18 meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89196221263