From the Edge of DisasterHow Activists and Insiders Can

Use the Lessons of Hurricane Sandy to Make the City Safer

Talking Transitions NYCNovember 13, 2013

Jeremy SaundersLead Organizer

VOCAL - NY

Jill EisenhardExecutive Director Red Hook Initiative

Joseph McKellarExecutive Director Faith in New York

What did Sandy teach us about the growing racial and economic inequality in NYC?

“Reviving Our City” Mayoral Candidates Summit: June 13, 2013: 1,400 people

“11 Months After Sandy” Mayoral Candidate Tour of Rockaways with Bill de Blasio: September 29, 2013

18-mile “Sandy Sojourn” from Far Rockaway to City Hall for “Equity Standards” in Sandy

rebuilding funds

Gonzalo MercadoExecutive Director

El Centro del Immigrante

Michael PremoOccupy Sandy

Sandy Storyline

Ligia GuallpaExecutive Director Workers Justice

Project

South Brooklyn: Immigrant Workers, Day Laborers, First Responders

In South Brooklyn, Day Laborers were among the first to respond to the Hurricane Sandy clean up / reconstruction, earning the poorest wages and under dangerous working conditions

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Rebuilding Bay Parkway Community Job Center After Hurricane Sandy

Bay Parkway Community Job Center is a work center in South Brooklyn that ensure that Sandy recovery and rebuilding dollars create job security with fair wages, dignified working conditions and skill-building training opportunities for low-wage immigrant workers.

Worker Center Role: After Hurricane SandyImproving Working Conditions

SKILL RATE (8 Hours per Day)

HOURLY

General Labor $120/130 $15/20

Sheet Rock Taper

$ 160 $20-25

Painter $160 $20

Carpenter $180 $22.5-25

Tile $180 $22.5-25

Cement/Brick $200 $25-30

Bay Parkway Community Job CenterWorker’s Rate

The Center facilitates fair, living wage jobs between employers and workers, offers trainings and workshops, and connects workers with community resources. In less than six months, the Center facilitated a total of 678 jobs, resulting in over $270,000 in salaries with fair wages and dignified conditions.

Worker Center Role: After Hurricane SandyBuilding Bridges of Solidarity

Immediately after the storm, workers formed volunteer brigades to assist New Yorkers with rescue and clean up efforts in neighborhoods around the city. “We are proud that we were there for New York when it needed us most.” said Filiberto Altamirano, Bay Parwaky Day Laborer

Worker Center Role After SandyWorker’s Rights Clinic / Training

Workers Center Role After Hurricane Sandy

• Organizing For Change: workers become safety liaisons to help enforce safety regulations on the job site.

• Workforce Development: Over 500 day laborers have been trained in OSHA 10, Scaffold 4 Hour user, Mold remediation and Basic Protective Equipment

THANK YOU!