Unions Representing 300,000 Workers Statewide Call on Gov. Hochul to Deliver a Budget That Taxes the Rich

CIR, CWA, DC37, Doctors Council SEIU, HTC, Local 802 AFM, NYSNA, OPEIU Local 153, PSC/CUNY and UAW Region 9A join forces to demand Gov. Hochul tax the ultra-wealthy

Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Heastie must hold the line on progressive revenue, labor unions say in a new letter — and the governor must choose New Yorkers over billionaires

Read the letter here

New York, NY – Either stand in solidarity with working-class families or continue protecting the billionaire donors and highly profitable corporations that refuse to pay their fair share in taxes, a broad coalition of labor unions and advocacy organizations told the governor and legislative leaders in a letter Tuesday as state budget negotiations dragged on.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie must deliver a final budget that includes all progressive revenue raisers proposed in the one-house budgets, wrote labor leaders from CIR, Communications Workers of America, District Council 37, Doctors Council SEIU, Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, Local 802 AFM, New York State Nurses Association, OPEIU Local 153, PSC/CUNY and UAW Region 9A, which collectively represent more than 300,000 workers across the state.

The support from organized labor cemented a diverse coalition of stakeholders pushing to increase taxes on the ultra-wealthy — including supermajorities of New York voters and Senate and Assembly leadership — as federal funding cuts endanger healthcare coverage for 1 million New Yorkers and food assistance for 200,000. New Yorkers have made it clear that they back this popular, common-sense policy. Now, it’s up to Gov. Hochul to represent her constituents.

“We urge legislative leaders to hold firm in support of these proposals and to ensure they remain intact through final negotiations. And we call on Gov. Hochul to listen to the overwhelming majority of New Yorkers who support a fairer tax system, not to the billionaire donors who benefit from the status quo,” organizations wrote in the letter. “New Yorkers need you to deliver a budget that reflects their needs, values and dignity — and that guarantees the ultra-wealthy and most profitable corporations pay what they owe.”

Revenue raisers in the Senate and Assembly one-house budget proposals include a statewide corporate tax increase, personal income tax increases, authorization for New York City to raise its corporate tax rate, and additional loophole closures and NYC-specific revenue measures. Additionally, lawmakers must restore Aid and Incentives for Municipalities (AIM) funding, boost support for foster care aid and rental assistance, and alleviate cost shifts from the MTA and restrictions on the Adult Shelter Cap, the coalition wrote.

The letter also carried support from advocacy organizations representing thousands of New Yorkers upstate and downstate, including Alliance for Quality Education, CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities, Churches United For Fair Housing, Citizen Action of New York, CPC, DRUM (Desis Rising Up and Moving), Elders and Allies to Free the People Rochester, For the Many, Hope Indivisible, Housing Justice for All, Indivisible Brooklyn, Invest in Our New York, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, Labor-Religion Coalition, Make the Road New York, New York Communities for Change, New York Working Families Party, NYC-DSA, Our Time, Patriotic Millionaires, Resource Generation, State Revenue Alliance, Strong Economy for All Coalition, VOCAL-NY and Young Invincibles.

“Our state is starting to see drastic federal funding cuts take effect, with 450,000 New Yorkers recently receiving notice that they’ll lose their Essential Plan coverage this summer. Most people in our state — including labor unions representing hundreds of thousands of workers, from municipal employees to healthcare providers — recognize the scale of the crisis,” said Brahvan Ranga, campaign manager for Invest in Our New York, a coalition of more than 150 organizations. “With budget season coming to a close, this is now a matter of life or death: Gov. Hochul must listen to her constituents, make the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share in taxes, and take urgent action to keep New Yorkers healthy, safe and fed.” 

“Doctors Council stands with our patients and the communities we serve. With budget negotiations entering their final stretch, it is imperative that our leaders stand with healthcare workers and patients. Governor Hochul needs to deliver a budget that includes all the comprehensive revenue-raising legislation in the one-house budgets. If she does not, Trump's cuts will trigger a healthcare emergency in our state. Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers could lose their insurance, and our safety-net hospitals will be put at risk,” said Doctors Council leaders.

“A pied-à-terre tax on penthouse mansions is a start, but it will not generate revenue statewide to protect healthcare access and food assistance, let alone close the city’s budget deficit or fund the affordability agenda that New Yorkers are clamoring for. Hundreds of thousands of mobilized union workers, community activists, and advocates from the shores of Lake Erie to Long Island are calling on Governor Hochul, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Speaker Heastie to do the right thing in this budget: tax the rich!” said James Davis, president of the Professional Staff Congress, the union of CUNY faculty and professional staff. 

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