NYS Budget: A Victory for Working Families

Thanks to all our members who sent emails and made phone calls. We helped make this happen!

STATEMENT FROM CWA DISTRICT 1 VP Dennis Trainor on the recently passed New York State Budget

ALBANY -- Communications Workers of America District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor released the following statement on the 2022 New York State budget agreement:

“This is a historic budget that will help our state rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. I thank our members and legislators who have fought for such a historic agreement, which raises new revenue, funds education, creates a fund for excluded workers, sends billions in rental, homeowner and small business relief to struggling New Yorkers, and establishes universal Pre-K for all New Yorkers. Today, New York showed what it means to be a progressive leader.”

On Revenue

“We applaud the state legislature for taking a bold stand and raising income taxes on New York’s highest earners and most profitable corporations, raising $4.3 billion in new, recurring revenue. While we had fought for an even bigger increase in new revenue, this budget undoubtedly represents an important step forward that will create a fairer tax system that relieves economic pressure on low and middle-income New Yorkers and asks the ultra-rich to pay their fair share. CWA has long supported fair progressive taxation, which has overwhelming popular support and is sound economic policy. The revenue raised through these modest tax increases will help rebuild our schools, hospitals and universities, bolster our public services, support excluded workers and ensure economic stability, desperately needed measures in the wake of the pandemic. These are the smart investments our state needs to build for a fairer, more equitable future. We thank Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Heastie for your leadership and unbending commitment to establishing fiscal equity in our state.”

On Broadband

“We are very pleased that the Governor and Legislature have agreed to fund the Comprehensive Broadband Connectivity Act, a mapping initiative that will allow us to evaluate the availability, quality and cost of high-speed internet around the state, and devise strategies to address coverage gaps. The digital divide is one of the most pressing issues facing New Yorkers, as the pandemic has laid bare, and this measure will finally allow our state to gain a more granular understanding of broadband access in order to address service gaps that affect hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers. We thank Senator Ryan, Assemblymember Pat Burke and former Senator Jen Metzger for their leadership on this important issue.”

On Renewable Energy Jobs

"This year's budget deal takes a huge step towards ensuring that jobs created by New York's massive investment in offshore wind power--both temporary assembly and construction jobs and long term operations, maintenance and manufacturing jobs--will be good jobs covered by high labor standards. We are particularly excited that the package contains important incentives to source wind turbine manufacturing in-state, and that New York State is leveraging its investment to jump-start an in-state green manufacturing supply chain. We especially want to thank Senator Neil Breslin and Assemblymembers Pat Fahy, Phil Steck and John McDonald for their leadership on this issue, and applaud the Climate Jobs NY coalition for their outstanding work on the off-shore wind jobs package."