The Workers Circle Responds to New Fund for Excluded Workers in New York State Budget

April 7, 2021

Contact: Karin Venegas, karin@anatgerstein.com, 347-361-7049
Lynsey Billet, lynsey@anatgerstein.com, 347-361-8449

(New York, NY) - Workers Circle CEO Ann Toback has issued the following statement in response to New York State’s new budget agreement’s fund for excluded workers:

“Today we celebrate the creation of a relief fund for excluded workers within the New York State budget. Although the $2.1B allocated falls short of the full $3.5B workers fought for and deserve, this fund will provide vital, financial relief to the many immigrant workers hard-hit by the pandemic — workers who were failed by our federal government’s refusal to value their many frontline contributions to our communities or recognize their suffering. Today marks a victory for their movement.

Recalling our own origin story as immigrants and factory workers who organized to improve our conditions over a century ago, members of The Workers Circle are inspired by the leadership, courage, and moral clarity of today’s immigrant workers. Workers Circle members in New York State were proud to have taken action and were humbled to join the workers’ hunger strike in solidarity.

We thank Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Speaker Carl Heastie, Senator Jessica Ramos, and Assembly Member Carmen De La Rosa for their unswerving commitment to ensure the creation of this fund which could be a model for other states.”