An extremely eclectic mix of more than 100 organizations announced an unprecedented unification with just one aim: stop the Constitutional Convention.
In a press release sent to reporters Monday, the New Yorkers Against Corruption coalition, describes itself as “a coalition of organizations, broad and diverse in both its geography and ideology,” which is certainly accurate.
The list of participating organizations include several LGBT groups united with the New York State Conservative Party; Planned Parenthood in agreement with the Council of Churches; and the New York Civil Liberties Union standing alongside the New York Rifle and Pistol Association.
These organizations have bridged a sizable gulf in ideology in an effort to avoid a Constitutional Convention, which they describe as “a taxpayer funded $300 million boondoggle that will only award corrupt Albany insiders.”
“There is a total lack of information,” said Jordan Marks, campaign manager for NYAC. “That is why over 100 organizations – representing millions of people from throughout New York – formed NYAC. We, the people of New York, have zero interest in writing a blank check for corrupt Albany insiders to throw themselves a multi-year party.”
The group hopes that the optics of such vastly different groups all uniting behind one goal — stopping the convention — can help illustrate to the public across the state “how disastrous the referendum’s passage would be to New York.”
They also plan on running a campaign to educate voters on the potential impacts of the multi-year process of holding a Constitutional Convention.
The opportunity for voters to authorize a convention, written into the state Constitution to occur every 20 years, will be on the ballot this November.
Members of the New Yorkers Against Corruption coalition include:
• Adirondack Council
• NYS Conservative Party
• Council of Churches
• CSEA
• Environmental Advocates of New York
• Equality New York
• New York State AFL-CIO
• New York State Alliance for Retired Americans
• New York State Professional Fire Fighters
• New York State Rifle and Pistol Association
• Planned Parenthood Empire State Acts
• Right to Life
• New York Republican State Committee, Chairman Ed Cox
• Strong Economy for All Coalition
• Working Families Party
• NYSUT
• AFSCME NY
• UFT
• RWDSU
• AFSCME DC37
• NYS Public Employees Federation (PEF)
• AFM Local 802
• Alliance of South Asian American Labor
• Bronx GOP
• Buffalo Branch NAACP
• Cattaraugus Allegany Central Labor Council
• CBTU NY Chapter
• Central New York Area Labor Federation
• Central NY Central Labor Council of Oneida & Herkimer Counties
• Chemung County Democratic Party
• Citizens for a Better Southern Tier
• City of Corning Democratic Party
• Coalition for Economic Justice
• Community Voices Heard
• CWA District One
• CWW Rochester
• Dunkirk Central Labor Council
• Dutchess County Central Labor Council
• Elmira City Democratic Party
• Equality Long Island
• Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island
• Food & Water Watch
• Greater Southern Tier BOCES Support Staff Association
• Greater Syracuse Council on Occupational Safety & Health
• Horseheads Teachers’ Association
• Hudson- Catskill Central Labor Council
• Humanists of Long Island
• IBEW Local 139
• Indivisible Patriots of Long Island
• Jamestown Central Labor Council
• Jefferson Lewis & St. Lawrence Counties Central Trades & Labor Council
• Kate Mullany CLUW
• Labor Religion Coalition
• Labor Religion Coalition of the Finger Lakes
• LGBT Network
• LITAC Long Island Transgender
• Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW
• Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth (LIGALY)
• Long Island Jobs with Justice
• Long Island LGBT Community Center
• Long Island Progressive Coalition
• Long Island Transgender Advocacy Coalition
• Make the Road
• Metro New York A. Philip Randolph Institute
• Move Forward Long Island
• New York Committee on Occupational Health and Safety
• New York Communities for Change
• New York Professional Nurses Union (NYPNU)
• New York Progressive Action Network of the Southern Finger Lakes
• Niagara Orleans Central Labor Council
• North Country Peace Group
• Northeast Central Labor Council
• NYC & Vicinity District Council of Carpenters
• NYC Labor Council for Latin American Advancement
• NYS PEF Retirees
• Port Authority PBA
• Pride at Work – NYC/LI
• Pride at Work – Rochester/Finger Lakes
• Professional Staff Congress
• Progressive East End Reformers
• Queens LGBT Community Center (QCenter)
• Rochester Metro Justice
• Rochester Next Up
• Rockland County Central Labor Council
• SEIU 32 BJ
• Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders-Long Island (SAGE-LI)
• Staten Island Republican Party
• Steuben Livingston Central Labor Council
• Suffolk Child Care Council
• Teamsters Local 814
• Tioga County Republican Party
• Tri-County Central Labor Council
• TWU NY/NJ State Conference
• UAW Region 9A New York Area CAP Council
• UFCW Local 1500
• United Steelworkers District 4
• Upper Hudson Central Labor Council
• WESPAC
• Westchester Putnam Central Labor Body
• Western New York Area Labor Federation
• Writers Guild of America, East
• Yonkers PBA
