Make the Road New York
navigation
whoweare howwework whatwedo press participate

May 10, 2012

Dozens of low-wage, Spanish-speaking workers descended on Councilman Erik Martin Dilan’s

By  Javier Valdes / Make the Road New York


Dozens of low-wage, Spanish-speaking workers descended on Councilman Erik Martin Dilan’s district office in Brooklyn yesterday afternoon to deliver 1,800 postcards from his constituents declaring their support for a paid-sick leave bill. But the councilman said he would have been happy to talk to them, had he knew they were coming. “They showed up unannounced,” he said. “I didn’t know they were coming at all.” Dilan is one of 14 Council members to not have sponsored the paid-sick leave bill, which is currently been shelved by Speaker Christine Quinn. Immigrant rights group Make the Road New York organized the postcard delivery yesterday. Dilan is running in a primary against Rep. Nydia Velazquez, who issued this statement to City & State about the rally: “This is a simple matter of justice.  All working people should be given paid time off when they fall ill and can’t go to work.   Not only is this the right thing to do, but it makes workers more productive over the long term.” Dilan declined to comment on the congresswoman’s comment, but said his own views on paid sick leave were evolving. “She’s certainly entitled to her opinion, and I wish the group would have told me they were coming. It appears my opponent in this race knew that this group would be coming to my office. But look, I share the sentiment overall, but I want to see what the final bill looks like.” 


More on: Workplace Justice 

DonateNow


Victory for Immigrant Families: Preventing Unjust Deportations in NYC

On March 18, 2013, Mayor Bloomberg signed new legislation to stop federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from using NYC’s criminal justice system to deport thousands of New Yorkers.

Building on legislation we helped to win just over a year ago, Local Laws 21 and 22 prohibit not only the Department of Correction but now also the NYPD from spending millions of city taxpayer dollars to hold individuals on behalf of ICE agents for detention and deportation. Each year, thousands of New York families will stay together who would otherwise have been torn apart by overly aggressive, indiscriminate immigration enforcement.

At a moment when the country is debating immigration reform, with these laws, New York City sends a clear message to Washington that tearing apart thousands of immigrant families is bad policy.

With your support, we look forward to winning national reform that keeps families together. We thank our partners at the Center for Popular Democracy, the Cardozo Immigration Justice Clinic and the bills’ sponsors, NYC Council Speaker Quinn and Council Member Mark-Viverito, for their courageous leadership.


No Events at this time