ARISE 2006 Issues Progress Report:  Accomplishments and Prospects

1.    LIBERTY PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM (LPP).  Outcome: 10% increase ($1 million) in State funding.  Largest increase in 10 years.  PLUS a major $7 million-dollar increase in funding for the related program called STEP (Science Technology Education Program), which like Liberty gets disadvantaged NYS youth accelerated into college, but has a narrower focus on science and technology.  The governor also picked up on two ideas laid out in a concept paper ARISE submitted to the Division of Budget:  tuition reimbursement for math teachers and middle and high school summer academic immersion programs for math and science serving disadvantaged students. Basically, we did convince the governor about the need for more college-track funding, but he was really keen on science/tech issues after his visit to China with its engineering hordes, and used that line item in the State Ed budget to lavish a big chunk of the increase we were asking for LPP into STEP and the science-oriented programs.

2.    COMMUNITY BENEFITS AGREEMENT (CBA).  Outcome:  Recruited African American leaders for Albany coalition; held 3 successful community coalition meetings to build support/participation in poor neighborhoods of Albany, each of them attended by 40-80 people; & collaborated to initiate a campaign for funding a new pre-apprenticeship program at the Capital District Worker Center to prepare entry-level workers for construction apprenticeships.  The CBA action requires three ingredients to succeed:

    a. A strong and diverse base of community participation and         buy-in.  This effort involves restoring trust between African             Americans and labor unions in the construction trades.

    b. A good training program to provide a pipeline for new                 workers to be able to succeed in demanding construction                 apprenticeships

    c. A written deal negotiated with the Albany Convention                 Center Authority including specific goals signed by                         representatives of the community coalition.

ARISE has made great headway in a. and b.  Item c. will need to wait until the state board overseeing construction is closer to selecting a developer for the convention center project, but the fact that we are building a. and b. means we will be that much better prepared for the negotiations when the time comes.  The Bank of America foundation has just announced (June 21) a grant of $2,500 to ARISE for pursuing this project.

3.    CBA continued.  Outcome:  NYS Department of Transportation action.  A related success was a meeting last February with the state DOT, which controls for the coming five years roughly $10 million annually in construction training funding statewide.  This is the largest pool of workforce development money anywhere in NYS, and could become a major source of support for item 2b above (ie pre-apprenticeship training).  Outcome of this meeting was that ARISE has been invited to help NYSDOT shape the state RFP (request for proposals) for pre-apprenticeship training programs in coming funding cycles.  We will meet again in Aug 2006 with NYSDOT Civil Rights/Equal Employment Opportunity staff, which will be writing the RFP.  We have discovered there is NO money currently funding pre-apprenticeship training beyond high school level programs, but NYSDOT is open to starting a new kind of adult-oriented program with ARISE's guidance.

4.    CBA continued.  ARISE's earlier victory with Albany City Schools minority hiring will to produce job and training opportunities for about two more years.

5.    CBA continued.  Interest is keen in the City and County of Schenectady for a replication of our Albany Schools minority hiring success by signing a CBA for Metroplex-funded construction projects in Schenectady County.  We originally hoped to use the Albany Convention Center model to create a pilot program for the CBA and then to spread that model in other parts of the region.  This spreading is already beginning.

6.    REGIONAL COMPACT BILL.  Outcome:  Due to circumstances with budget fights and other issues beyond our control (eg Gilboa dam deterioration requiring a lot of EnCon Committee's attention), no progress in legislature in 2006.  HOWEVER, with legislation stalled, we have shifted our focus instead toward building the Thruway Alliance with Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo, and a set of upstate/downstate corporate and housing allies to insert the issue into the 2006 gubernatorial campaigns.  With our prep work in 2006, 2007 will be a better year to move this bill.  Here is an outline of where we stand:

• MONEY.  The Thruway Alliance now has generated $95,000 in foundation support ($17K coming directly to ARISE) to fund statewide issues work in NYS.  Mott Foundation, Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Interfaith Funders, and Veatch are all funding or looking to invest more.

                Funding details:

1. Mott Foundation, Thruway Alliance grant of $50K for 2006-07:            $7,500 for ARISE
2. CCHD, Thruway Alliance grant of $40K for 2006-07,                 $6,000 for ARISE
3. Verizon Foundation, ARISE grant for July 21-22 Thruway Alliance training:    $3,500 for ARISE ($1,500 for event)
4. TOTAL committed to date:                    $17,000

• STRUCTURE/TRAINING.  We have solidified a membership structure and board with ACTS (Syracuse), INTERFAITH ACTION (Rochester), and VOICE Buffalo.  Major training of 70 people from all groups July 21 and 22 in Albany preparing grassroots members to mount successful state campaigns.
• HOUSING ALLIES.  ARISE helped to organize and participated in a major statewide housing/planning issues summit on April 11 in Albany, which drew participation from over 30 organizations representing every major city from Long Island to Buffalo and rural upstate groups as well.  Our Regional Compact issue has been inserted into a major statewide housing platform (one of five demands) that we plan to present to a special gathering of campaign policy staff for Faso/Suozzi/Spitzer before primaries in late August 2006.
  
• CORPORATE BREAKFASTS.  In late August/early September both Albany and Syracuse will hold high gloss corporate-clergy breakfasts presenting our upstate economic renewal agenda to major business/higher ed leaders and soliciting investment from banks and other corporations in our work.
  
• FALL PUBLIC ACTIONS.  It now appears that there will be at least three major public meetings in October 2006 geared toward drawing the attention of gubernatorial and other state candidates to housing/regional planning issues including the regional compact bill.  Albany October 3, Syracuse [mid-October], and Buffalo October 22.  The Syracuse meeting looks like it will provide a major turnout from downstate and all of upstate together and will be the focus for attracting governor candidates Spitzer and Faso, as well as the State Senate candidates in the important fight over State Senator David Valesky's seat (Valesky is Democrat incumbent who 'swung' the Syracuse district two years ago, and Republicans are making it priority one to win back this seat as key to their holding on to their Republican majority in the State Senate).  NYC groups are strongly interested in the Syracuse meeting because without a showing of solidarity from upstate, they cannot expect support for housing needs from the state legislature, especially the State Senate.

What all of this means in practical and simple terms is that ARISE, as a key mover in both the housing summit and the Thruway Alliance, is quite literally moving to the center of statewide organizing for social uplift and revitalization, and will be attracting funding and increased statewide attention as we grow into this leadership role.  We now are developing working relationships with NYC groups, Long Island groups, and our sister members in the Thruway Alliance.