Key Successes
On June 11, 2018, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson reached a deal to include full funding for Fair Fares in the city budget. Starting in January 2019, New Yorkers whose income is below the federal poverty line will qualify for half-price MetroCards.
On April 4, 2016, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed into law the nation's most robust paid family leave policy. CSS helped lead the fight that brought about this victory for working New Yorkers.
For too long, employers in New York often made it clear they wouldn’t hire people with criminal histories. That changed in June, 2015, when Mayor Bill de Blasio signed the Fair Chance Act. CSS is proud to have been the primary legal advocate behind this vitally important law, which prevents employment discrimination based on involvement in the criminal justice system.
It took us more than three years, but New York City is now closer to ensuring that nearly one million working New Yorkers—particularly low-wage workers—will earn paid sick days, and that no worker can be fired for being sick.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently signed 3 bills that will dramatically improve how New York City's disadvantaged youth connect to public assistance and educational programs. All three bills stem from the research and recommendations of a ground-breaking CSS report.
Nearly 56,000 people are currently in New York State prisons. As these individuals return home and try to provide for themselves and their families, they face steep legal barriers to employment and economic stability. CSS has pursued a variety of strategies, including litigation and grassroots advocacy, to win tangible change for people with conviction histories.
Between 2000 and 2009, health insurance premiums in New York State increased by 92 percent, while median wages increased only by 14 percent. CSS advocacy helped convince the state to improve oversight and start reigning in excessive premium hikes.
After a groundbreaking CSS report in 2005 called attention to the large-scale problem of disconnected youth in the city—young people ages 16 to 24 who are disconnected from school and jobs—city and state policy makers took note.