Citizen Action, Indivisible New Paltz , Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson, Ulster Activists, UIDN, Ulster People for Justice and Democracy, Woodstock Immigrant Support, and Worker Justice Center of New York – Hudson Valley support the Excluded Workers Act. Read their letter to our representatives here.

Cuomo is Playing Games with the bill. Please help by making 3 calls.

The Excluded Worker Bill will provide at least $2.1 billion of desperately needed support for NY immigrant families who have been devastated by Covid but received no government relief. It is set to pass this week as part of the NYS budget but Governor Cuomo is introducing last-minute poison pills that will exclude the very workers the fund is meant to help.

Cuomo would require workers to submit official documents, such as payroll records and bank statements, or an Individual Tax ID Number, which is supposedly available to workers who do not have social security numbers. Excluded workers generally do not have these kinds of records.

Please help ensure that a fair and just Excluded Worker bill passes. Please making 3 BRIEF PHONE CALLS today. The budget deadline is Thursday, April 1. Here are the phone numbers and below that a sample call script.

  • Governor Andrew Cuomo, 518-474-8390
  • Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, 518-455-2585
  • Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, 518-453-3791

Thanks for helping our immigrant neighbors get the help they so badly need.

Sample call script

Hello, my name is (your name) and I’m calling from (your town/city) to ask Senator/ Assembly member (name of legislator) to support the Excluded Worker Fund. The bill number is (Senate 4543/Assembly 5421).

The bill must include flexible application requirements so that all excluded workers can access the fund. Excluded workers often lack payroll records, bank statements, or Individual Tax ID numbers. Requiring that kind of documentation will mean that the fund doesn’t help the very people it is designed to assist.

I urge ___________ to support the excluded worker fund without onerous paperwork requirements.