Members Rally and Lobby in Albany for Pre-K

Mayor de Blasio, flanked by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and other elected officials, speaking at the rally in support of Universal Pre-K.

The Union sent busloads of members to Albany on March 4 to rally and lobby for Universal Pre-K, an education component that New Yorkers sorely need.

Members met at the Union at 6:00 a.m. and then boarded the buses for the trip up to the state capitol. Once in Albany, they attended a rally where they were joined by members of other unions as well as people from many community organizations, religious congregations and non-profit groups. We are happy to add that Hotel Trades Council members from New Jersey and upstate also participated in the event.

A number of elected officials spoke strongly in favor of Pre-K at the rally, including several City Council members, New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The rally was coordinated by UPKNYC, which is a grassroots campaign to enact Mayor de Blasio’s proposal for a small increase in taxes on the wealthiest residents (those earning over $500,000 a year) to fund Universal Pre-K for every four-year-old and after school for every middle school student in New York City.

Research conclusively shows that full-day Pre-K reduces income inequality and increases social mobility. Unfortunately, there are currently 50,000 children in New York City who should get full-day Pre-K but don’t. The effectiveness of Pre-K is an established fact and the UPKNYC plan simply seeks to extend education fairness to all children in New York.

It was obvious from the enthusiastic reception he received at the rally that Mayor de Blasio’s proposal for Pre-K has many supporters. The Mayor made it clear that his proposal would not be a burden at all on the wealthiest New Yorkers—an opinion that has been validated by several impartial polls. He said he was asking for a little more from the people who could most afford it to fund a sorely needed program that experts agree would make a greatly beneficial difference for the children of New York. The audience at the rally robustly agreed.

Following the rally at the Albany armory, members of our Union visited personally with numerous state legislators to express support for the Mayor’s Pre-K proposal. We can report that these legislators were very receptive and very supportive.

The weather was quite chilly and it was a long day for the members who bused up to Albany and back from the Union’s headquarters. But no one minded the weather and the long day because everyone knew that their collective effort went a long way towards achieving a goal that all children of New York City sorely need.

Of course, the Union expresses appreciation to all members who took the time to participate in this meaningful and productive trip to Albany to meet with legislators and to show support for Universal Pre-K.

Members of our Union are in the audience and standing on the stage behind him. We’ll have many additional photos of members who attended this historic event in next week’s edition of Hotel Voice.