Welcome to Rochester for Energy Democracy (R.E.D.)!

RED is Metro Justice’s campaign to replace foreign-owned RG&E in Monroe County into a not for profit, locally controlled public utility. RG&E's track record speaks volumes—surprise billing, exorbitant rates, terrible customer service, and rising rates have plagued our community for far too long. It's time for change. That’s why replacing RG&E with a public utility is necessary and holds the promise of lower rates, improved service, the restoration of good local union jobs, and and a renewable energy transition accessible to all.

At our biweekly organizing meetings, we discuss aspects of our strategy to win, determine collective action items, and delegate work. This committee is the heart of our campaign, and a great way to get involved to make a difference and meet our community of volunteers leading this fight. 

We'll meet at the Metro Justice Office from 6-8 PM. Please RSVP below! We welcome folks bringing snacks and drinks to share if you would like to do so. 

For some background on RED: For-profit, investor-owned utilities like RG&E keep raising our rates, only to neglect maintenance of the grid and expand fossil fuel infrastructure. On top of that, oil and gas continue to lobby against a fast and massive transition to renewable energy. As a result, we all pay more than we should in energy bills while the continued use of fossil fuels pushes us towards catastrophic environmental damage. 

In R.E.D., we believe that in order to combat the climate crisis and ensure environmental justice in the long-term, we must fundamentally transform our energy economy. We need to build an energy system that meets the needs of communities instead of meeting the greed of distant investors and CEOs. We also need a shift to energy that is 100% clean and renewable. We believe this is possible if we takeover RG&E with a public, local, and community controlled utility. This will give communities a say in what kind of energy we use, whom we get it from, and how the money we pay is used to benefit our community. Furthermore, everyone could only pay what is necessary to develop and maintain energy infrastructure, taking millions in profits for investors and CEOs out of the picture. We can also make sure that all jobs associated with the utility are local union jobs that pay family-sustaining wages with benefits. 

A community-driven energy system needs the involvement of people in our community to succeed. To join us at our next meeting, please RSVP below!

Directions to our office: 

- The address is 389 Gregory Street, Unit A. 

- Please use the Cayuga Street entrance; come to the large double doors with a keypad on it. 

- Enter, go up the stairs to the second floor. Unit A will be on the right.

With Rochester for Energy Democracy (RED), we have built a movement to be proud of to replace RG&E with a public utility that is affordable, accountable, locally owned, and community controlled. While the County Legislature voted down a public utility study again, we still deserve a future in which we are no longer beholden to a profit-driven, foreign company for our basic energy needs. That's why RED will continue to fight for that future!

Because the City of Rochester already set aside funds that expire this June for a study, we are making a big push over the next two months to get the City to commission this study without the county. City residents are the hardest hit by RG&E’s insane bills and neglect. Let’s tell our City leadership that we don’t need the County to save us – we can look out for ourselves and initiate a public utility study on our own.

Join us at this community meeting where we'll answer your questions, and discuss what's next in the fight for public power and what you can do! 

Dinner provided; please email or call our Organizing Director, Mohini Sharma, if you have specific dietary needs! The community meeting will be on Monday, May 6th from 6-8 PM at the Williams Gallery of First Unitarian Church of Rochester. 

RSVP below!

Welcome to Rochester for Energy Democracy (R.E.D.)!

RED is Metro Justice’s campaign to replace foreign-owned RG&E in Monroe County into a not for profit, locally controlled public utility. RG&E's track record speaks volumes—surprise billing, exorbitant rates, terrible customer service, and rising rates have plagued our community for far too long. It's time for change. That’s why replacing RG&E with a public utility is necessary and holds the promise of lower rates, improved service, the restoration of good local union jobs, and and a renewable energy transition accessible to all.

At our biweekly organizing meetings, we discuss aspects of our strategy to win, determine collective action items, and delegate work. This committee is the heart of our campaign, and a great way to get involved to make a difference and meet our community of volunteers leading this fight. 

We'll meet at the Metro Justice Office from 6-8 PM. Please RSVP below! We welcome folks bringing snacks and drinks to share if you would like to do so. 

For some background on RED: For-profit, investor-owned utilities like RG&E keep raising our rates, only to neglect maintenance of the grid and expand fossil fuel infrastructure. On top of that, oil and gas continue to lobby against a fast and massive transition to renewable energy. As a result, we all pay more than we should in energy bills while the continued use of fossil fuels pushes us towards catastrophic environmental damage. 

In R.E.D., we believe that in order to combat the climate crisis and ensure environmental justice in the long-term, we must fundamentally transform our energy economy. We need to build an energy system that meets the needs of communities instead of meeting the greed of distant investors and CEOs. We also need a shift to energy that is 100% clean and renewable. We believe this is possible if we takeover RG&E with a public, local, and community controlled utility. This will give communities a say in what kind of energy we use, whom we get it from, and how the money we pay is used to benefit our community. Furthermore, everyone could only pay what is necessary to develop and maintain energy infrastructure, taking millions in profits for investors and CEOs out of the picture. We can also make sure that all jobs associated with the utility are local union jobs that pay family-sustaining wages with benefits. 

A community-driven energy system needs the involvement of people in our community to succeed. To join us at our next meeting, please RSVP below!

Directions to our office: 

- The address is 389 Gregory Street, Unit A. 

- Please use the Cayuga Street entrance; come to the large double doors with a keypad on it. 

- Enter, go up the stairs to the second floor. Unit A will be on the right.

City residents are the hardest hit by RG&E’s insane bills and neglect. Let’s tell our City leadership that we don’t need the County to save us – we can look out for ourselves and initiate a public utility study on our own.

The City of Rochester already set aside funds that expire this June for a study, so we are making a big push over the next two months to get the City to commission this study without the county. We deserve a future in which we are no longer beholden to a profit-driven, foreign company for our basic energy needs. It’ll take a lot of public pressure from constituents like you to outweigh RG&E's political influence and convince the City to lead where the County failed.

The next City Council meeting is Thursday, May 16th at Rochester City Hall (30 Church Street, Rochester, NY, 14614). The Public Comment period begins at 6 PM, so please plan to arrive by 5:40 PM if possible so that you have time to park, go through security, and find the Chambers. 

To join us:

- The first step is to RSVP below to let us know you're coming! Whether you're speaking or coming to show to your support in the audience, we want to know that you'll be joining us! 

- We highly encourage you to sign up to speak: hearing constituents share their RG&E stories and directly call on them to initiate a study is most effective in moving City Council to take action. To sign up to speak, you must either call 585-428-7538 or 585-428-7421, or email [email protected], as soon as possible. Please include your first and last name, mailing address, phone number, and the topic of your comments: urging City Council to commission and fund an implementation study for a public utility. If you sign up to speak, please email Mohini Sharma (mohini@metrojustice) and Michelle Wenderlich ([email protected]) to let us know! 

You will have a strict 2 minutes to speak, and people will speak in the order in which they signed up. A guideline to help you prepare your remarks will be posted here by Wednesday, May 1st. 

Welcome to Rochester for Energy Democracy (R.E.D.)!

RED is Metro Justice’s campaign to replace foreign-owned RG&E in Monroe County into a not for profit, locally controlled public utility. RG&E's track record speaks volumes—surprise billing, exorbitant rates, terrible customer service, and rising rates have plagued our community for far too long. It's time for change. That’s why replacing RG&E with a public utility is necessary and holds the promise of lower rates, improved service, the restoration of good local union jobs, and and a renewable energy transition accessible to all.

At our biweekly organizing meetings, we discuss aspects of our strategy to win, determine collective action items, and delegate work. This committee is the heart of our campaign, and a great way to get involved to make a difference and meet our community of volunteers leading this fight. 

We'll meet at the Metro Justice Office from 6-8 PM. Please RSVP below! We welcome folks bringing snacks and drinks to share if you would like to do so. 

For some background on RED: For-profit, investor-owned utilities like RG&E keep raising our rates, only to neglect maintenance of the grid and expand fossil fuel infrastructure. On top of that, oil and gas continue to lobby against a fast and massive transition to renewable energy. As a result, we all pay more than we should in energy bills while the continued use of fossil fuels pushes us towards catastrophic environmental damage. 

In R.E.D., we believe that in order to combat the climate crisis and ensure environmental justice in the long-term, we must fundamentally transform our energy economy. We need to build an energy system that meets the needs of communities instead of meeting the greed of distant investors and CEOs. We also need a shift to energy that is 100% clean and renewable. We believe this is possible if we takeover RG&E with a public, local, and community controlled utility. This will give communities a say in what kind of energy we use, whom we get it from, and how the money we pay is used to benefit our community. Furthermore, everyone could only pay what is necessary to develop and maintain energy infrastructure, taking millions in profits for investors and CEOs out of the picture. We can also make sure that all jobs associated with the utility are local union jobs that pay family-sustaining wages with benefits. 

A community-driven energy system needs the involvement of people in our community to succeed. To join us at our next meeting, please RSVP below!

Directions to our office: 

- The address is 389 Gregory Street, Unit A. 

- Please use the Cayuga Street entrance; come to the large double doors with a keypad on it. 

- Enter, go up the stairs to the second floor. Unit A will be on the right.

You are cordially invited!  We hope that you can join us for our organization’s most celebrated fundraising event: The Metro Justice Annual Dinner on Sunday June 8, 2024 at the AFSCME Union Hall (1956 Lyell Ave). Doors open at 5:00pm, program to begin at 6:00pm.

Your ticket purchases and sponsorships will help fuel and support the campaigns that Metro Justice stands for. Your generosity can help our organization maintain its strong and uncompromising voice in the community; fighting for social, economic, and racial justice.  We hope you will join us for an evening of food, fun, and community.

Our Keynote Speaker this year is Bob Muehlenkamp! Bob Muehlenkamp has been on the front lines of our country’s social justice and trade union movements for half a century. He served as Executive Vice President and National Organizing Director at 1199 SEIU, and as Organizing Director for the Teamsters. Bob is a co-facilitator of Third Act’s Retired Union Members Working Group.

Food will be provided by Battatini's Family Style Catering, with union coffee from our brothers & sisters at Spot Coffee. Beer & Wine will also be available.

Tickets, sponsorship, and dinner booklet ads for the dinner can be purchased below. You can also mail in this order form. The deadline for ticket orders received by mail is May 31.

This year we'll have Free on-site Childcare provided by Girls Rock! Rochester. Please let us know how many kids you'll need childcare for, how old they are, and any special needs we should know about.

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday June 8, 2024 for an evening of delicious food and stimulating conversation.  If you’re unable to attend, please consider making a contribution to Metro Justice to ensure we remain an independent grassroots organization for years to come.

To purchase an ad in the program without tickets, click here.

For any questions, or to donate a dessert or silent auction item, please contact Fundraising & Membership Director Crescenzo Scipione at [email protected] or 585-397-3535.

Welcome to Rochester for Energy Democracy (R.E.D.)!

RED is Metro Justice’s campaign to replace foreign-owned RG&E in Monroe County into a not for profit, locally controlled public utility. RG&E's track record speaks volumes—surprise billing, exorbitant rates, terrible customer service, and rising rates have plagued our community for far too long. It's time for change. That’s why replacing RG&E with a public utility is necessary and holds the promise of lower rates, improved service, the restoration of good local union jobs, and and a renewable energy transition accessible to all.

At our biweekly organizing meetings, we discuss aspects of our strategy to win, determine collective action items, and delegate work. This committee is the heart of our campaign, and a great way to get involved to make a difference and meet our community of volunteers leading this fight. 

We'll meet at the Metro Justice Office from 6-8 PM. Please RSVP below! We welcome folks bringing snacks and drinks to share if you would like to do so. 

For some background on RED: For-profit, investor-owned utilities like RG&E keep raising our rates, only to neglect maintenance of the grid and expand fossil fuel infrastructure. On top of that, oil and gas continue to lobby against a fast and massive transition to renewable energy. As a result, we all pay more than we should in energy bills while the continued use of fossil fuels pushes us towards catastrophic environmental damage. 

In R.E.D., we believe that in order to combat the climate crisis and ensure environmental justice in the long-term, we must fundamentally transform our energy economy. We need to build an energy system that meets the needs of communities instead of meeting the greed of distant investors and CEOs. We also need a shift to energy that is 100% clean and renewable. We believe this is possible if we takeover RG&E with a public, local, and community controlled utility. This will give communities a say in what kind of energy we use, whom we get it from, and how the money we pay is used to benefit our community. Furthermore, everyone could only pay what is necessary to develop and maintain energy infrastructure, taking millions in profits for investors and CEOs out of the picture. We can also make sure that all jobs associated with the utility are local union jobs that pay family-sustaining wages with benefits. 

A community-driven energy system needs the involvement of people in our community to succeed. To join us at our next meeting, please RSVP below!

Directions to our office: 

- The address is 389 Gregory Street, Unit A. 

- Please use the Cayuga Street entrance; come to the large double doors with a keypad on it. 

- Enter, go up the stairs to the second floor. Unit A will be on the right.

Welcome to Rochester for Energy Democracy (R.E.D.)!

RED is Metro Justice’s campaign to replace foreign-owned RG&E in Monroe County into a not for profit, locally controlled public utility. RG&E's track record speaks volumes—surprise billing, exorbitant rates, terrible customer service, and rising rates have plagued our community for far too long. It's time for change. That’s why replacing RG&E with a public utility is necessary and holds the promise of lower rates, improved service, the restoration of good local union jobs, and and a renewable energy transition accessible to all.

At our biweekly organizing meetings, we discuss aspects of our strategy to win, determine collective action items, and delegate work. This committee is the heart of our campaign, and a great way to get involved to make a difference and meet our community of volunteers leading this fight. 

We'll meet at the Metro Justice Office from 6-8 PM. Please RSVP below! We welcome folks bringing snacks and drinks to share if you would like to do so. 

For some background on RED: For-profit, investor-owned utilities like RG&E keep raising our rates, only to neglect maintenance of the grid and expand fossil fuel infrastructure. On top of that, oil and gas continue to lobby against a fast and massive transition to renewable energy. As a result, we all pay more than we should in energy bills while the continued use of fossil fuels pushes us towards catastrophic environmental damage. 

In R.E.D., we believe that in order to combat the climate crisis and ensure environmental justice in the long-term, we must fundamentally transform our energy economy. We need to build an energy system that meets the needs of communities instead of meeting the greed of distant investors and CEOs. We also need a shift to energy that is 100% clean and renewable. We believe this is possible if we takeover RG&E with a public, local, and community controlled utility. This will give communities a say in what kind of energy we use, whom we get it from, and how the money we pay is used to benefit our community. Furthermore, everyone could only pay what is necessary to develop and maintain energy infrastructure, taking millions in profits for investors and CEOs out of the picture. We can also make sure that all jobs associated with the utility are local union jobs that pay family-sustaining wages with benefits. 

A community-driven energy system needs the involvement of people in our community to succeed. To join us at our next meeting, please RSVP below!

Directions to our office: 

- The address is 389 Gregory Street, Unit A. 

- Please use the Cayuga Street entrance; come to the large double doors with a keypad on it. 

- Enter, go up the stairs to the second floor. Unit A will be on the right.

Welcome to Rochester for Energy Democracy (R.E.D.)!

RED is Metro Justice’s campaign to replace foreign-owned RG&E in Monroe County into a not for profit, locally controlled public utility. RG&E's track record speaks volumes—surprise billing, exorbitant rates, terrible customer service, and rising rates have plagued our community for far too long. It's time for change. That’s why replacing RG&E with a public utility is necessary and holds the promise of lower rates, improved service, the restoration of good local union jobs, and and a renewable energy transition accessible to all.

At our biweekly organizing meetings, we discuss aspects of our strategy to win, determine collective action items, and delegate work. This committee is the heart of our campaign, and a great way to get involved to make a difference and meet our community of volunteers leading this fight. 

We'll meet at the Metro Justice Office from 6-8 PM. Please RSVP below! We welcome folks bringing snacks and drinks to share if you would like to do so. 

For some background on RED: For-profit, investor-owned utilities like RG&E keep raising our rates, only to neglect maintenance of the grid and expand fossil fuel infrastructure. On top of that, oil and gas continue to lobby against a fast and massive transition to renewable energy. As a result, we all pay more than we should in energy bills while the continued use of fossil fuels pushes us towards catastrophic environmental damage. 

In R.E.D., we believe that in order to combat the climate crisis and ensure environmental justice in the long-term, we must fundamentally transform our energy economy. We need to build an energy system that meets the needs of communities instead of meeting the greed of distant investors and CEOs. We also need a shift to energy that is 100% clean and renewable. We believe this is possible if we takeover RG&E with a public, local, and community controlled utility. This will give communities a say in what kind of energy we use, whom we get it from, and how the money we pay is used to benefit our community. Furthermore, everyone could only pay what is necessary to develop and maintain energy infrastructure, taking millions in profits for investors and CEOs out of the picture. We can also make sure that all jobs associated with the utility are local union jobs that pay family-sustaining wages with benefits. 

A community-driven energy system needs the involvement of people in our community to succeed. To join us at our next meeting, please RSVP below!

Directions to our office: 

- The address is 389 Gregory Street, Unit A. 

- Please use the Cayuga Street entrance; come to the large double doors with a keypad on it. 

- Enter, go up the stairs to the second floor. Unit A will be on the right.

Welcome to Rochester for Energy Democracy (R.E.D.)!

RED is Metro Justice’s campaign to replace foreign-owned RG&E in Monroe County into a not for profit, locally controlled public utility. RG&E's track record speaks volumes—surprise billing, exorbitant rates, terrible customer service, and rising rates have plagued our community for far too long. It's time for change. That’s why replacing RG&E with a public utility is necessary and holds the promise of lower rates, improved service, the restoration of good local union jobs, and and a renewable energy transition accessible to all.

At our biweekly organizing meetings, we discuss aspects of our strategy to win, determine collective action items, and delegate work. This committee is the heart of our campaign, and a great way to get involved to make a difference and meet our community of volunteers leading this fight. 

We'll meet at the Metro Justice Office from 6-8 PM. Please RSVP below! We welcome folks bringing snacks and drinks to share if you would like to do so. 

For some background on RED: For-profit, investor-owned utilities like RG&E keep raising our rates, only to neglect maintenance of the grid and expand fossil fuel infrastructure. On top of that, oil and gas continue to lobby against a fast and massive transition to renewable energy. As a result, we all pay more than we should in energy bills while the continued use of fossil fuels pushes us towards catastrophic environmental damage. 

In R.E.D., we believe that in order to combat the climate crisis and ensure environmental justice in the long-term, we must fundamentally transform our energy economy. We need to build an energy system that meets the needs of communities instead of meeting the greed of distant investors and CEOs. We also need a shift to energy that is 100% clean and renewable. We believe this is possible if we takeover RG&E with a public, local, and community controlled utility. This will give communities a say in what kind of energy we use, whom we get it from, and how the money we pay is used to benefit our community. Furthermore, everyone could only pay what is necessary to develop and maintain energy infrastructure, taking millions in profits for investors and CEOs out of the picture. We can also make sure that all jobs associated with the utility are local union jobs that pay family-sustaining wages with benefits. 

A community-driven energy system needs the involvement of people in our community to succeed. To join us at our next meeting, please RSVP below!

Directions to our office: 

- The address is 389 Gregory Street, Unit A. 

- Please use the Cayuga Street entrance; come to the large double doors with a keypad on it. 

- Enter, go up the stairs to the second floor. Unit A will be on the right.