Just months after winning landmark civil rights complaints against New York State’s largest pharmacy chains requiring comprehensive new translation and interpretation services at close to 3000 pharmacies statewide, Make the Road New York has catalyzed the passage of City legislation requiring similar services at all chain pharmacies throughout the five boroughs.

On September 3, Make the Road New York members (pictured above) joined Mayor Bloomberg for the signing of the Language Access in Pharmacies Act (Introductory Number 859-A) into law.

Medication can be dangerous, and it is essential that New York’s two million limited English proficient community members understand how to safely take medications prescribed by their doctors.

Make the Road New York is proud to have worked closely with New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, City Council Speaker Quinn, Mayor Bloomberg, Attorney General Cuomo, Public Advocate Gotbaum and Council Member Gioia, among others, to win this major language access and public safety victory for customers at pharmacies throughout the City.

Click here to read more about the history of this campaign.

Photo by William Alatriste

In December, Make the Road New York members joined with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, community groups and elected officials to call for improved wages at the Queens Center Mall and released a report exposing the mall as a publicly-subsidized poverty wage center.

Despite the fact that the mall's owner, the Macerich Company, has already received more than $48 million in tax breaks and will receive more than $50 million over the next few years, most of the 3,100 jobs at the Mall are low-wage, no-benefit jobs. Despite massive public subsidies, the Mall's workforce is so poorly paid that they have to rely on government subsidized health insurance and other government aid.