The Independent Neighborhood Democrats
Reform Democratic Club, 52nd Assembly District, Brooklyn, N.Y.

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Brownstone Brooklyn News/IND Resolutions

(a discourse on all things political where you live)

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IND Resolutions:

Resolution in Support of the Rights of the Occupy Wall Street Movement and In Condemnation of the Mayor’s Interference Thereof.


Passed November 17, 2011

Whereas, the Occupy Wall Street ("OWS") movement has focused our nation’s attention on the growing economic gap between the wealthy and the rest of America; and

Whereas, OWS has sought to exercise their First Amendment rights in a non-violent manner; and

Whereas, the Independent Neighborhood Democrats join with OWS in advocating for economic and social justice; now, be it,

Resolved, that the Independent Neighborhood Democrats support OWS’s right to resume and continue to their operations at Liberty Park / Zuccotti Park; and, be it further

Resolved that the Independent Neighborhood Democrats deplore the Mayor’s decision to remove OWS from the park, violating their rights to freedom of speech and assembly; and, be it further

Resolved that the Independent Neighborhood Democrats call upon our elected officials to reverse the Mayor’s heavy-handed actions and ensure that the rights of OWS are respected, protected, and OWS is allowed to continue to use the park; and, be it further

Resolved that the Independent Neighborhood Democrats call upon the New York Police Department to ensure that the rights of all New Yorkers to freedom of speech and assembly are protected and that their powers not be used to silence public debate and assembly.



Resolution to call upon Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature to enact
legislation to end pervasive misclassification of port truck drivers, to call upon Congress to pass the Clean Ports Act of 2011, and to call upon the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to adopt a comprehensive clean truck program for our region's ports.

Passed June 8, 2011

WHEREAS, the Port of New York and New Jersey is a crucial economic engine of our region; and

WHEREAS, the Clean Air Task Force estimates that diesel pollution from the port results in 1,397 premature deaths, 2,733 non-fatal heart attacks, 48,192 asthma attacks, 1,037 cases of chronic bronchitis, and 218,566 work loss days annually; and

WHEREAS, the Coalition for Healthy Ports estimates that port truck emissions account for 40 percent of the diesel pollution from the port; and

WHEREAS, the Coalition for Healthy Ports estimates that 95 percent of the nation's freight trucks, including port trucks, fail to comply with current United States Environmental Protection Agency emission standards; and

WHEREAS, port drivers are misclassified as independent contractors by their employers, forcing all the cost of doing business on the drivers, including purchasing, fueling, insuring and maintaining the vehicles they drive, even though drivers rely on trucking companies for delivery
assignments and cannot take orders from other companies; and

WHEREAS, these misclassified workers are denied basic rights and protections afforded to employees in other industries, such as unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation, overtime pay and workplace safety rules; and

WHEREAS, research by Professor David Bensman of Rutgers University finds that most port drivers live near or below the federal poverty level and do not receive health or retirement benefits; and

WHEREAS the misclassification of workers by unscrupulous employers robs the State and the public of much needed revenue and creates a competitive disadvantage for responsible employers who pay their fair share; and

WHEREAS, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey recently established a truck ban and replacement program that bans vehicles manufactured before 1993 from the ports and provides grants and loans to help a small number of drivers purchase clean, EPA-compliant
trucks manufactured after 2003; and

WHEREAS, the Port Authority’s efforts functions to support the pervasive
misclassification of port drivers as so-called independent contractors; and

WHEREAS, a port truck manufactured in 2004 or later can cost between $50,000 and $120,000, a prohibitive expense for low-wage workers, and the Port Authority estimates that 20 percent of the participants in the replacement program will default on their loans; and

WHEREAS, the weak, post-1993 requirement of the truck ban will have a negligible impact on toxic diesel emissions from port trucks; and

WHEREAS, financially stable trucking companies, not low wage drivers, should bear the responsibility for reducing port truck pollution; and

WHEREAS, port truck drivers are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect by their employers and deserve to haul goods in clean, EPA-compliant vehicles that are purchased, fueled, insured and maintained by their employers; therefore

INDEPENDENT NEIGHBORHOOD DEMOCRATS hereby RESOLVES to call upon United States Congress to enact the Clean Ports Act of 2011 (H.R. 572), which would empower port authorities to implement strong environmental protections; and

INDEPENDENT NEIGHBORHOOD DEMOCRATS hereby further RESOLVES to call upon Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Assembly to enact legislation to end the pervasive misclassification of port truck drivers in order to establish a more effective clean truck program; and

INDEPENDENT NEIGHBORHOOD DEMOCRATS hereby further RESOLVES to call upon the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to adopt a comprehensive clean truck program that requires trucking companies to employ their drivers directly and ensure that the
port is able to reach the highest standards of efficiency, sustainability and safety; and

INDEPENDENT NEIGHBORHOOD DEMOCRATS hereby further RESOLVES to call upon trucking companies to end the pervasive misclassification of port truck drivers by properly classifying port truck drivers as employees and to invest in new clean truck technology to reduce deadly diesel emissions.

 


Resolution Regarding Avoiding Harmful Cuts by Increasing Revenue through a Tax on High Incomes
Passed April 20, 2011

WHEREAS New York State passed a 2011-2012 budget containing $132.5 billion in spending but which cuts state funding for education by approximately $1.25 billion, state Medicare support by approximately $5 billion, and $170 million in state funding for the Court system, among others;

 

WHEREAS New Yorker’s use and depend on the services funded by New York State and cuts are disproportionately felt by poor and moderate income New Yorkers;

 

WHEREAS, prior to 2009, New York State’s highest tax rate was 8.79% on incomes above $500,000 while incomes between $20,000 and $500,000 were taxed at the same 6.85% rate;

 

WHEREAS to increase revenues, in 2009 New York State created an additional tax bracket for income of between $200,000 and $500,000 of 7.85% and created a Personal Income Tax Surcharge on incomes above $200,000 for individuals and $300,000 for joint fliers;

 

WHEREAS these progressive revenue enhancers sunset at the close of 2011;

 

WHEREAS the budget passed by New York State for 2011-2012 did not include a Personal Income Tax Surcharge on incomes of any amount;

 

WHEREAS there is little empirical evidence linking increased tax rates in high income to emigration from New York State;

 

WHEREAS maintaining the Personal Income Tax Surcharge on incomes only in excess of $1 million would provide additional revenues to the State to avert some of the spending reductions outlined above;

 

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the Independent Neighborhood Democrats, Brooklyn’s premier reform Democratic Club, believes that a Personal Income Tax Surcharge on incomes in excess of $1 million and should be enacted so as to avert further harmful reductions in government services.

Non-Partisan Redistricting Resolution

Passed January 13, 2011
 

RESOLVED, We, Independent Neighborhood Democrats, reaffirm our independence from entrenched special political interests.  In furtherance of our commitment to encourage ordinary people to participate in a meaningful democratic process, we join with former Mayor Koch and numerous good government groups in urging every New York State elected official and particularly our next Governor and the leaders of the New York State Assembly and Senate to come together in support of a single bill to provide for Independent Bipartisan Redistricting.

 

We realize that while there are many other reforms that could be put forward for enactment into law, such an Independent Bipartisan Redistricting law is both timely and has achieved the broadest consensus among various reform proposals.

 

 We cannot hope to restore the faith of the governed in their government, if we don’t begin by enacting such a simple and obvious reform.

Resolution calling for an independent investigation of the

2010 Post-Christmas Blizzard

Adopted February 17, 2011

 

Whereas, the National Weather Service upgraded the snow storm approaching the New York City region to a blizzard warning at 3:55 PM on Christmas Day; and

 

Whereas, the City’s response in the first several hours of a major snowstorm is tremendously important; and

 

Whereas, the City administration failed to act quickly and effectively to maintain public safety by keeping essential roadways passable to respond to emergencies; and

 

Whereas, while it is unclear even after initial public hearings who was in charge and who was kept informed as to the status of the City roadways, mass transit, and emergency response, it is clear that there was a abject failure to act swiftly and decisively to meet the challenge of the snowfall and high winds; and

 

Whereas, our city leaders were demonstrably negligent when their actions are contrasted with those in neighboring jurisdictions who rapidly mobilized in the face of the storm; and

 

Whereas, explanations offered so far by the Mayor’s Administration offer a cornucopia of conflicting, and at times simply incredulous, statements; and

 

Whereas, adequate explanations have not been forthcoming despite public demand for such explanations and ensuring the adequacy of future responses, we believe, requires understanding the inadequacies of prior responses, it follows that an independent evaluation is essential to begin to restore the confidence of New Yorkers that such crises will be averted in the future;

 

Therefore, be it

 

Resolved, that the Independent Neighborhood Democrats calls for an independent panel to investigate all aspects of the Post-Christmas Blizzard to determine how our city’s leaders despite sufficient warning, so badly mismanaged the city’s resources in response to such a major blizzard, and identify key miscalculations to be addressed in the future.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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