Press Releases

Press Release For Immediate Release: July 3, 2019 Contact: Heather L. Sorge, NJ Work Environment Council, Campaign Organizer for Healthy Schools Now 908/310-7874; [email protected] Debra Coyle McFadden, NJ Work Environment Council, Executive Director 609/707-1320; [email protected] New Jersey Schools Development Authority Takes Action to Protect Kids from Mercury Found in Floors The New Jersey Schools Development Authority (SDA) will be requiring a certification from manufacturers of rubberized and/or urethane floors installed on SDA projects ensuring the floor does not contain phenyl mercuric acetate (PMA) or other mercury catalysts. These floors, which continue to be identified in New Jersey schools, have been installed since the 1960s. This flooring, and items that have been in contact with it, emit harmful mercury vapor indefinitely. Mercury vapor can damage the central nervous system, kidneys, lungs, skin and eyes and is especially harmful to young children and fetuses whose bodies are still developing.  Studies show that children with autism have an even harder time excreting toxic metals, further increasing the health risk. The additional certification from manufacturers is necessary as Safety Data Sheets and date of installation are not determining factors in identifying whether or not a floor contains mercury.  The floors release odorless, colorless mercury vapor. The only reliable way to determine whether [...]

  New Jersey Fiscal Year 2020 Budget  Governor Murphy signed New Jersey's Budget for FY2020. The NJ Work Environment Council (WEC) is, for the most part, proud of the progressive, pro-worker, pro-community investments this budget makes. Increased funding into schools and special education programs, including $250 million into special education, $457.5 million into transit, $70 million towards clean energy, $3.8 billion into the public employee pension system and a $401 million deposit into our state’s rainy day fund are all a breath of fresh air in a state previously starved by austerity economics. The Governor also should be commended for signing Executive Order No. 73 directing the Treasury to place up to $235 million in discretionary spending into reserve. It will be monitored by the Treasury and released only if during the course of the fiscal year, sufficient revenues and assumed savings materialize. This is sound fiscal stewardship. However, the FY2020 budget falls short of our goal in supporting safe, secure jobs and a healthy sustainable budget in several ways. The Legislature made it clear raising revenue and creating a progressive tax structure was not a priority, failing to tax opiate manufacturers and the extremely wealthy. And while the budget [...]

Press Release: Sunday, April 28, 2019 Contact Lou Kimmel, 732.762.7687, [email protected] Cecelia Leto, 609.532.1782, [email protected]   2019 Workers' Memorial Day March & Rally: Not One More Death New Brunswick, NJ – Around 300 people gathered at Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple on Sunday, April 28 to celebrate Workers’ Memorial Day, an annual day of action to remember those who have died or been injured on the job, and raise awareness to prevent future illnesses, injuries, and deaths. This year, the theme of the rally was “Not One More Death”. Participants renewed their commitment to fight for safe Jobs for all, cognizant of the rash of gun violence in our schools and sacred spaces, as well as the very real impact climate change is already having on workers and communities. The event, organized by New Labor, the New Jersey Work Environment Council, and other partners in the Jersey Renews coalition, brought together a diverse group of workers, immigrants, environmentalists, educators, and health professionals to march and rally for worker and climate justice. In 2018, 28 workers died at work in New Jersey. Example of preventable deaths include: falling from a steel structure, crushed by equipment, crushed by between vehicles, exposed to carbon monoxide [...]

January 9, 2018A report released earlier today by the state comptroller confirms what the NJ Work Environment Council (WEC) and our partners have been educating on and advocating around for decades: that our economy in the United States, and in New Jersey, is rigged to benefit the ultra-rich. The report, which detailed a vast failure of oversight and implementation in the state Economic Development Authority's (EDA) tax incentive program, found that the EDA could not identify if the $11 billion of incentives given out since 2005, which went to highly profitable corporations, generated any economic benefit to the state. That's $11 billion which could have gone to building New Jersey's communities. But New Jersey's economic system, our tax code, and our policies are very often not written for us. They are written to dish out corporate welfare, so that wealthy executives can line their pockets while destroying jobs, failing to stimulate or contribute meaningfully to our economy, and polluting our environment. Workers and taxpayers have felt this at every turn- as our state government bends over backwards to please corporations and moneyed interests, in hopes that they will somehow save our economy, our wages remain stagnate, our working conditions fail to [...]

Intersectional Coalition Calls for Action on Climate & Worker Protection New Brunswick, NJ – Hundreds gathered at Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple on Sunday, April 22 to celebrate Workers’ Memorial Day, an annual day of action to remember those who have died or been injured on the job, and raise awareness to prevent future illnesses, injuries, and deaths. This year, Workers’ Memorial Day and Earth Day fell on the same Sunday, creating an opportunity to talk about the connection between climate change and worker safety. The event, organized by New Labor, the New Jersey Work Environment Council, and other partners in the Jersey Renews coalition, brought together a diverse group of workers, immigrants, environmentalists, and health professionals to march and rally for climate and worker justice. "Climate change is already a public health emergency, and the impacts on workers and communities are only going to get worse. This Earth Day, unions, worker centers, faith groups and environmental organizations are standing in solidarity demanding action on climate change. We recognize that if we want to protect workers and provide safety for everyone, we must reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Dan Fatton, executive director of the New Jersey Work Environment Council. “Members [...]

Ewing, N.J. – The construction of new offshore wind farms in New Jersey and other coastal states could lead to more than 75,000 clean energy jobs, according to a new report from the Center for American Progress (CAP) and The New Jersey Work Environment Council (WEC). Examples in the United States and Europe show that with the right policies in place, offshore wind development can translate into expansive job creation and demand for skilled workers, the report says. With more than 100 gigawatts of offshore wind resources available in federal and Great Lakes waters, elected officials and labor leaders have a chance to turn wind farms into economic wins for their working ports and harbors, communities, and workers. “Offshore wind is a vast clean energy resource that will lead to economic wins for workers,” said Shiva Polefka, associate director of ocean policy at CAP. “When coastal states get the right policy in place for offshore wind, they’re supporting working families and being leaders in the urgent fight against climate change.” In one of his first actions in office, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order that directs the state to move toward the goal of generating 3500 megawatts [...]

Transit Equity Rally: Workers & Community Members Demand Electrification of Transportation to Preserve our Climate and Create Jobs Jersey City, NJ – Dozens of people gathered at City Hall on Tuesday, February 6 to show support for the electrification of New Jersey’s transportation system. The event, organized by Jersey Renews in partnership with the Amalgamated Transit Union, brought together a diverse assembly of speakers to address how electrified public transportation can reduce air pollution, promote healthier communities, create jobs, and address climate change. "Jersey City stands with Jersey Renews and the Amalgamated Transit Union in their mission to promote the electrification of transportation," said Mayor Fulop. "On a local level, we are actively finding ways to reduce pollution, and I am proud to announce that we are beginning the process of installing electric vehicle charging stations and transitioning our municipal fleet to electric power. Together, we will continue to find ways to reduce our carbon footprint and build cleaner, healthier communities throughout New Jersey." "Gasoline powered vehicles are harmful to our environment and our health, especially in dense urban areas like Jersey City. Dangerous levels of pollution from cars, trucks, and buses on busy roads and highways make thousands of New Jerseyans sick [...]

After taking nearly a year to review 429 applications for so-called "emergent" (urgently needed) facilities repairs submitted by 23 former Abbott districts, the NJ Department of Education (NJDOE) has approved state funding for only 15, or 5%, of the repairs. Education Law Center and the Healthy Schools Now (HSN) coalition of the NJ Work Environment Council are calling on State Education Commissioner Kimberly Harrington to publicly explain why so many of the repair projects were denied. ELC and HSN also note that, even for the 15 projects given the go-ahead, the NJDOE has yet to provide any timeframe for undertaking and completing the repairs. In July 2016, the NJDOE and the Schools Development Authority (SDA) asked the former Abbott districts, now called "SDA districts," to submit requests for emergency health and safety repair projects under an initiative called the "Potential Emergent Projects Program" (PEPP). In response, the districts submitted extensive lists of needed repairs and hazardous conditions for State review. An emergent project is a capital project necessary to address a building condition that causes imminent peril to the health and safety of students and staff, and that must be alleviated on an expedited basis. Under a 1998 NJ Supreme [...]