FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM MARCH 25, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 17
Jackson Heights ‘excluded worker’ participates in hunger strike
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
A Jackson Heights woman was among
the half dozen “excluded workers” from
Queens to go on a hunger strike Tuesday,
March 16, demanding full funding in the
state budget.
Rubiela Correa was part of the lead vanguard
LaGuardia AirTrain project moves forward following federal review
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
While Governor Andrew
Cuomo faces multiple probes
into his conduct and widespread
calls for his resignation
or impeachment, his pet project
in Queens is quietly moving
forward.
Cuomo’s proposed $2 billion
LaGuardia AirTrain project has
cleared another hurdle aft er the
Federal Aviation Administration
released its Final Environmental
Impact Statement including the latest
details on a host of community
benefi ts which is the next to last
step in the federal review process.
Th e fi nal step comes in the
spring with the FAA release of
its Record of Decision, aft er
which construction can begin
on the 1.5-mile transportation
system linking the airport with
Willets Point and its connections
to the No. 7 subway line and
the Long Island Rail Road’s Port
Washington branch.
“Th is milestone represents a
very important step forward in
building a rapid, reliable and
sustainable rail mass transit link
to the airport,” a Port Authority
spokesperson said. “We appreciate
the time and eff ort the FAA
has put into its exhaustive review
of the project, yielding a fi nal EIS
of 600 pages with 25,000 pages of
supporting appendices.”
Th e EIS itemizes many of
the community benefi ts that
will become part of the project
to address its many impacts
and respond to issues raised by
community members. Benefi ts
include economic activity
including the creation of 3,000
construction jobs and $500 million
in contracting opportunities
for minority- and women
owned businesses as well as
contracting opportunities for
other Queens-based businesses.
Th e project will invest in workforce
development, educational
opportunities and community
events.
“In addition, in direct response
to public comment and community
recommendations, the
project now includes more than
$50 million in commitments to
transformational investments in
the Flushing Bay Promenade and
other local parks,” the spokesperson
added. “Th ese investments
include funding for longterm
operation and maintenance
of the Promenade, as particularly
requested by the community,
as well as capital improvements.”
While critics of the project
remain opposed — including
the environmental organization
Guardians of Flushing
Bay, which called the LaGuardia
AirTrain an unnecessary boondoggle”
and Congresswoman
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who
lamented the Port Authority’s
lack of alternative routes — the
Port Authority points to widespread
support for the plan.
“Th e AirTrain LGA project
received strong support from a
range of stakeholders and organizations,
from local community
leaders to former transportation
offi cials to a range of
civic, business and labor organizations,”
the PA spokesperson
said. “Based on the fi nal EIS,
more than 75 percent of all the
comments fi led supported the
project moving forward and, of
those who expressed an opinion
in support of or opposed to the
project during the FAA’s public
comment process, more than 90
percent supported the project.”
from Queens — which is expected
to grow to 30 in the coming days — participating
in the “Fast for the Forgotten”
in front of the Cathedral of St. John the
Divine calling for $3.5 billion in funding
to support workers excluded from federal
and state COVID-19 pandemic relief programs
including unemployment benefi ts
and stimulus checks.
“Because of the pandemic, I’ve lost all
my savings and all of my income. I am
eight months behind on rent and unable
to support my family,” Correa said. “I am
angry that elected offi cials have turned
their backs on us.”
Th ough the Senate and Assembly budgets
include $2.1 billion in funding for the
excluded workers, it is far less than than
the $3.5 billion that workers are demanding,
a fi gure that would ensure weekly
payments on par with unemployment
businesses other workers have received.
Among the hunger strikers are the formerly
incarcerated and undocumented
New Yorkers.
“Th e government doesn’t ask me for my
status when it wants me to pay taxes, but it
bars me from receiving help,” Correa said.
“Excluded workers have been through
enough this year. We need support now.”
Hundreds of thousands of excluded
workers across the state have received
no income support from the government
during the pandemic. An August 2020
Make the Road NY survey showed that 98
percent of unemployed undocumented
workers had not received federal or state
economic assistance.
“Despite the fact that I’ve been vending
for six years, paying taxes like any
other business, providing for myself and
my family, I was intentionally excluded
from all support and relief provided by
the government. I haven’t received any
support from the government, not even
a penny,” Street Vendor Project member
Mohamed Saad said. “What’s happening
with us as immigrants and workers is
unfair. Th e government must do their jobs
and address our needs, the same way we
do our jobs as workers and serve the state
of New York.”
Th e federal stimulus package signed last
week, like previous stimulus legislation,
continues to largely tie unemployment
insurance and other benefi ts to immigration
status. Without action at the state
level, working people across New York
will continue to be denied relief.
“Workers are fasting today because
they have been left with no other choice.
For a year, hundreds of thousands of
workers across New York have received
no lifeline from the government even as
their communities have been devastated
by layoff s and the loss of loved ones,”
New York Communities for Change
Executive Director Jonathan Westin said.
“Th e pandemic has aff ected us all, and
lawmakers have a responsibility not to
leave any workers behind in the recovery.
Excluded workers have called for economic
relief that matches the unemployment
benefi ts that other workers have
received. Th e state Legislature must listen
to their demands and include a $3.5
billion fund for excluded workers in the
fi nal budget.”
Courtesy of the governor’s offi ce
The LaGuardia AirTrain project is moving forward after its latest federal review
showed plenty of pubic support, according to the Port Authority.
Photo by Dean Moses
Dozens of Queens ‘excluded workers’ will take part in hunger strikes demanding to be included in COVID-19 economic relief.
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