This summary was featured in Documented’s Early Arrival newsletter. You can subscribe to receive it in your inbox three times per week here.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced on his two-hour ride-along with Los Deliveristas Unidos that he wants a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package to help the city’s delivery workers, who are mainly immigrants. Workers told Schumer they rarely make over $90 to $100 during a 12-hour day. They also described serious accidents they’ve encountered while on the job, such as getting hit by cars and crashing their bikes to avoid potholes and oil slicks. THE CITY
To encourage Schumer to deliver a pathway to citizenship, the New York Immigration Coalition released a video advertisement demanding he follow through with his promises. Meanwhile United We Dream Action, DRUM, Make the Road New York, Churches United for Fair Housing and others went to Schumer’s Brooklyn home on Thursday to demand a pathway to citizenship as well. Deanna Garcia for Documented
In other local immigration news…
12 Workers Make History Forming New York’s First Farmworkers Union
📍 Documented Original
Twelve workers from Pindar Vineyards in Peconic, Long Island, joined the Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW union, forming the first certified farmworkers union in New York state. Noemi Barrera, an organizer with Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW, said workers weren’t given personal protective equipment at the beginning of the pandemic. She went to the vineyard to pass out masks and hand sanitizer to workers and informed them about the Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act. Barrera eventually organized a meeting to explain the law to workers, and 10 workers showed interest. “In Guatemala, the unions are strong and well-organized,” said Rodolfo Mendez, a Guatemala immigrant. “And now that opportunity has arrived for us and we are moving forward.” Read more at Documented.
NJ Immigrant Advocates Say $40M Excluded Workers Fund is Too Small
New York’s $2.1 billion Excluded Workers Fund has almost run out, leading immigrant advocates in New Jersey to worry the state’s $40 million Excluded Workers Fund isn’t enough. “New York’s was the closest to an equitable fund, and the fact that it was exhausted so quickly, New Jersey will face a similar if not more rapid depletion,” Sara Cullinane, executive director of Make the Road NJ, said. Advocates say $40 million fund will reach less than 10% of undocumented residents who were excluded from financial assistance during the pandemic. According to state documents, the program will begin accepting applications Oct. 22 and will end either when the funds run out or by Dec. 30. New Jersey Monitor
Documented’s engagement reporter Rommel H. Ojeda spoke on FAQ NYC about his coverage of NY’s Excluded Workers Fund. Click here (33:35) to learn what Ojeda discovered about the program.
Our WhatsApp Community Wins Game-Changer Award
📍 Documented Award
The Institute for Nonprofit News announced yesterday that Documented won its “Game-Changer Award” for its WhatsApp Community. We use WhatsApp to distribute a weekly Spanish-language newsletter, Documented Semanal, that provides a roundup of the week’s most important immigration news,and helpful resources for New York immigrants and undocumented immigrants. “The Documented team’s outreach determined where the community was, before working to build audience interaction on that platform,” INN wrote. “And Documented’s dedication to tracking and explaining their success made their work a potential model for other news outlets, as well as ably serving their own community.” Click here to learn how you can get involved in this community today.
