LOCAL UNION ACTIONS

SUNDAY'S INAUGURAL POTLUCK A SUCCESS

CALLING ALL FUNDRAISERS!

RATE HIKE HEARINGS THIS TUESDAY

Here are Metro Justice news and events for the week of 9/26/25

LOCAL UNION ACTIONS

This week saw two important local union actions. On Tuesday, Metro Justice members joined members of the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians (NABET) and Communications Workers of America (CWA) in an informational picket about the fact that Nexstar, big corporate owner of the WROC / News 8 station, is refusing to negotiate with new, NLRB-certified unions in Denver, CO, Henderson, KY, and Rochester, NY, over its poverty wages and union-busting actions. Metro Justice will continue to support this effort by refusing individual interviews with News8 until good faith negotiations begin. We encourage all members to observe this boycott, and to sign the union's petition at https://action.cwa.org/petitions/tell-nexstar-to/ .

And on Thursday, we joined members of the Board of Education Non-Teaching Employees (BENTE) to ask that their members be paid for their work! The Rochester City School District's payroll system was "upgraded" over the summer by Oracle, the Trump ally (and IDF funder), that just bought TikTok. Ever since then, checks for non-teaching employees have not been cut accurately to cover the work they have done. Fixing this glitch should have been a top priority for ORACLE and the RCSD administration in this upgrade. 

SUNDAY'S INAUGURAL POTLUCK A SUCCESS

photo by Emma Watson/RIT student

Jesse Lenney shared about his work with the New York State Trade Justice Campaign with a group including younger and older members, with good conversations - and good food! Jesse shared how organizations are collaborating to send many strong, targeted comments during the mandatory 6-year review, happening these next few weeks, of the USMCA (U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, aka NAFTA on Trump steroids). Not surprisingly, "the best trade deals ever," supposed to be "an especially great victory for our farmers," has been anything but, filled with even more opportunities to offshore jobs and giveaways to Big Tech. You do not have to be a trade expert to make a difference on this! Visit [TradeJusticeEdFund.org]TradeJusticeEdFund.org to learn more about the review, the specific changes that are needed, and how to submit your comments. Every comment submitted triggers a response on paper, so if massive numbers of people submit comments it will be hard for the reviewers to ignore. Check it out and submit a comment today!

Next month's potluck date is still tba, but please send us your ideas about good topics for us to talk about over dinner!

CALLING ALL FUNDRAISERS!

It is high time that we reconvene the Fundraising Committee to plan the fundraising events and other activities that help to keep our lights on! The Trump budget cuts have had serious ripple effects that are challenging all community organizations, including ours. If you would like to help with fun fundraising events, hone your grant-seeking skills, or talk with fellow members, click here to contact George Elkind, our new Membership and Fundraising Coordinator. We need you now! 

Meanwhile, this Sunday night, 7/28, is the Nominations Committee meeting. Anyone interested in learning more about serving on the Metro Justice Council, a nomination, or any other questions, should email Luis Torres ([email protected]) today.

RATE HIKE HEARINGS THIS TUESDAY

Don't forget! We are mobilizing against RG&E's latest outrageous rate and profit hike at the Public Hearings to Oppose this Rate Hike this Tuesday, Sept 30th.

• Hearings at 1pm and 6pm inside City Hall (no pre-registration needed to speak)
• Rally at 5:30 before the 2nd hearing
• Webinar with the Climate Solutions Accelerator on preparing comments here (and we'll be adding a guide to our event page)

Spread the word and plan to show up to oppose the state rubber-stamping Iberdrola’s latest scheme to raise their profits on our backs! 

Upcoming Events:

• Every Friday through October 7:30 at the George Eastman Museum the Rochester Labor Film Series. Tonight, the Worker Justice Center of NY will show three short films prior to the feature, A Thousand Pines.
• Tuesday, September 30th at City Hall RG&E rate case hearings at 1 pm and 6 pm, rally at 5:30. Click for more info
• Tuesday, September 30th at 5:30 PM at CWA Local 1170, 4061 W. Henrietta Road - rally in support of CWA members negotiating with Frontier Telecom
• Sunday, October 5th, 11-4 Rochester Public Market Italian Heritage Day. Come join the fun - and if you can help staff sign-up tables for the New York Health Act or Elder Justice Committee, email [email protected] 
• Monday, October 13th, Lake Riley Lodge, Cobbs Hill, all day Indigenous Peoples Day 2025 with music, dancing, storytelling, craftmaking, guest speakers, Native vendors, and educational activities for all ages.
• Saturday, October 18th, 10 am - 4 pm the next Rochester No Kings rally; click on the link for details
• Wednesday, October 22 2:00-4:00 pm In response to the injustices endured by Rochester vulnerable seniors and disabled adults, Elder Justice Committee will have an informational event ADVOCATING for RESIDENTS' RIGHTS from ADMISSION to DISCHARGE at First Unitarian Church. To ask for more information: [email protected].
• Ongoing: If you are between jobs, good on the phone, and would like to learn about organizing, contact [email protected] about helping with a service workers organizing project. Speaking a language other than English is a plus!

Desktop Actions: 

• Get a "Replace RGE" yard sign! Be the envy of your neighbors! 
• Check out the info about the USMCA trade deal review and make your comment at   [TradeJusticeEdFund.org]TradeJusticeEdFund.org 
• Sign the New York Health Act petition to Hochul, Heastie and Stewart-Cousins
• Repost/tweet the New York Health posts at the Metro Justice FaceBook page every Tuesday and Thursday noon
• Uphold Tonawanda Seneca Nation sovereignty and the CLCPA! No new NYS funds or permits to WNY STAMP, tell NYSDEC to protect the Oak Orchard Watershed. 
• Protect the Climate Law and Indigenous Sovereignty: Submit a comment (or attend and comment at a virtual hearing Sept 13 or 30!) on the state's Energy Plan.
• Go to the state's comment portal and add the Tonawanda Seneca Nation's demands  through the written comment form by October 6. 
• Join Metro Justice or renew your membership - in these dark times we need to stick together, and to plan to support ourselves as much as possible.