***OPEN LETTER TO BE RELEASED FEBRUARY 26 2015***

Dear Mayor de Blasio:

Its no secret that climate change is one of the most urgent issues of our time.
Even skeptics are now realizing that excessive carbon emissions have become the
lightning rod for changes in weather patterns, rising sea levels, increases in
hurricanes, and disastrous super storms. As world leaders attempt to tackle climate
change on a global scale, New York City must also take action to address
vulnerabilities in the face of such change. With the expiration of PlaNYC just weeks
away, we have the opportunity to re-imagine a long-term vision of our City that puts
people and communities at the center of all climate change solutions.
Mayor Bloombergs PlaNYC, while ambitious and important, insufficiently addressed
the issue of inequality at the heart of climate change: low-income communities and
communities of color are disproportionately impacted by poor health and
environmental burdens as well as hurricanes, super storms, and disasters that result
from excessive carbon emissions.
Successfully achieving the goal of 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050 will
rely on resilient communities that are nurtured by expanding economic
opportunities throughout our City. A people-centered PlaNYC must reduce the
inequality and promote environmental justice that for too long has been overlooked
or ignored. By incorporating high-quality responsible job standards, state-approved
apprenticeship training programs, and long-term career pathways into every single
infrastructure project, development project, and initiative in PlaNYC, we would
rebuild not just the tangible elements of our city, but our friends and neighbors
lives as well.
We are glad this administration is committed to ending the Tale of Two Cities
created by the status quo. Superstorm Sandy exposed and exacerbated divides in
our economy, infrastructure, and housing in places like Far Rockaway, Red Hook,
Sunset Park, and Coney Island. Unfortunately, survivors and families who are still
struggling the most to rebuild and recover also live in the same areas where the
vast majority of residents are low-income people of color.
With a people focused PlaNYC, New York City could serve as a global model for how
public policy and investment can transform our cities to be sustainable, just, and
resilient. Through this plan, the City could potentially create almost 40,000 good
jobs each year by way of mandatory retrofits of large buildings, the installation of
solar panels on schools, increasing transit access, improved infrastructure, and
other areas of construction that impact our climate
We can expand and build on the progress begun in post-Sandy rebuilding through
the the Sandy Recovery Workforce1 centers and local hiring policies in the new
Build it Back contracts. PlaNYC could expand this model into a comprehensive
system of climate workforce development centers that connects low-income and
moderate-income residents to good-paying career-track jobs that would help

dramatically reduce carbon emissions and makes a more resilient and sustainable
city.
Last years Peoples Climate March brought out tens of thousands of New Yorkers
who are concerned about our planet and our future. Lets seize this moment to
expand the Citys resiliency and sustainability plans to truly work for all New
Yorkers.

Sincerely,
1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East
ALIGN
Communication Workers of America, District 1
Community Voices Heard
El Puente
Faith in New York
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 3
Intl Assoc. of Heat and Frost Insulators Local 12
Make the Road New York
Morningside Heights/West Harlem Sanitation Coalition
New York City Central Labor Council
New York City Environmental Justice Alliance
New York Communities for Change
New York Lawyers for the Public Interest
Nos Quedamos
Service Employees Intl Union 32BJ
Sustainable South Bronx
The Point Community Development Corporation
Transport Workers Union Local 100
UPROSE
VOCAL-NY