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Tenant Organizer, Housing

by | Jan 5, 2024 | Internships & Careers

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT
TENANT ORGANIZER, HOUSING

ABOUT CATHOLIC MIGRATION SERVICES

Catholic Migration Services (“CMS”), an affiliated agency of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens, provides high quality free legal services, community education, and advocacy for low- income immigrantsresiding in Brooklyn and Queens, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, or immigration status. CMS assists individuals with their immigration, housing, and employment legal needs. CMS is committed to “welcoming the stranger in our midst” by serving and working alongside underserved immigrant communities to advance equality and social justice in an ever-changing landscape.

POSITION:

CMS seeks a full-time, highly motivated, experienced, and passionate tenant organizer to join our dynamic Housing team. The tenant organizer will work towards building tenant power in buildings wheretenants are at risk of displacement and harassment by landlords. The community organizer will report to the Managing Attorney of the Housing team.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Coordinate monthly community meetings for tenants;
  • Lead Know Your Rights presentations;
  • Conduct outreach, e. door-knocking and virtual outreach to tenants;
  • Help form and support Tenant Associations;
  • Work collaboratively with members of the legal team;
  • Support leadership development in Tenant Association and campaign spaces;
  • Conduct outreach and participate in coalition and campaign meetings, retreats, actions and events, and
  • Participate in various NYC

QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Minimum of 2-3 years of experience in tenant organizing and base-building or working in coalition on a campaign is required;
  • Excellent interpersonal and problem solving skills;
  • Fluency in Spanish is strongly preferred;
  • Familiarity with Microsoft Word and Excel and ability to learn other softwareprograms;
  • Willingness to work some evenings and weekends;
  • Ability to travel throughout New York City and Albany;
  • Demonstrated ability to take initiative and work independently as well as collaboratively in a team setting; and
  • Experience working with individuals from diverse backgrounds and communities to bring them together to build on common goals.

DIVERSITY AND NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY:

Catholic Migration Services values workplace diversity and welcomes applicants and employees of allbackgrounds. CMS strives to create a positive, supportive, and inclusive work environment for all staff.CMS makes all employment decisions without regard to any applicant’s or employee’s protected characteristics, including their race, religion, color, national origin, immigration status, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, arrest conviction record, or marital status.

SALARY AND BENEFITS

Salary is on a union scale based on years of experience. The salary range for an organizer with two to three years of experience is $50,719.50 to $51,759.90. CMS offers a very competitive benefits package that includes medical, dental and vision insurance coverage, transit benefits, Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and a 403(b) retirement plan including employer contribution. We offer generous leave policies,including four weeks paid vacation, four paid personal days, fourteen paid holidays and the week off between Christmas and New Year’s Days, inclusive.

UNION REPRESENTATION

This is a bargaining unit position represented for collective bargaining purposes by the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys, UAW, Local 2325.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Applications will be accepted immediately and will be considered on a rolling basis. Interested applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and a list of three professional references to: Magdalena Barbosa, at mbarbosa@catholicmigration.org. Please include “Community Organizer Application” in the subject line.

Download this job announcement as a PDF: Tenant Organizer, Housing

Associate Supervising Attorney, Immigration Unit

by | Jan 5, 2024 | Internships & Careers

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT
ASSOCIATE SUPERVISING ATTORNEY, IMMIGRATION UNIT

Catholic Migration Services (“CMS”), an affiliated agency of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens, provides high quality free legal services, community education, and advocacy for low-income immigrants residing in Brooklyn and Queens, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, or immigration status. CMS assists individuals with their immigration, housing, and employment legal needs. CMS is committed to “welcoming the stranger in our midst” by serving and working alongside underserved immigrant communities to advance equality and social justice in an ever-changing landscape.

The Associate Supervising Attorney will report to the Supervising Attorney of the Removal Defense Program (RDP) and will manage the Pro Se Plus Project (PSPP), a collaborative initiative of several non-profit legal service providers that was developed to respond to the needs of newly arrived migrants from the southern border. The Associate Supervising Attorney will continue to develop and supervise PSPP, manage the provision of community legal orientations, trainings for advocates, legal screenings, and pro se assistance with various immigration applications, both on a rolling basis and through clinics and workshops; and will maintain a caseload that allows for PSPP supervisory responsibilities. This is a unique opportunity for someone passionate about immigrant rights, energized to empower immigrant communities, and eager to participate in the development of an innovative project.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Participate in developing and implementing the PSPP initiative in collaboration with the Managing Attorney of the Immigration Unit and the RDP Supervising Attorney, as well as our partners, African Communities Together, Central American Legal Assistance, UnLocal, New York Legal Assistance Group, MASA, and Venezuelans and Immigrants Aid, Inc.;
  • Train, onboard, and supervise our dynamic PSPP team;
  • Train, onboard and supervise volunteers to conduct screenings and provide pro se application assistance;
  • Devise innovative strategies to better serve community members who proceed pro se in immigration matters;
  • Conduct screenings for eligibility for immigration benefits, providing legal advice and information;
  • Prepare a variety of immigration applications and motions, on a pro se basis, including changes of address, motions to change venue, applications for asylum and work permits, etc.;
  • Organize and lead regular meetings of our dynamic PSPP team, develop staff work plans, monitor compliance with PSPP deliverables and office protocols, and provide feedback on performance and caseloads of supervisees;
  • Lead on-site and virtual PSPP events, which will sometimes be held on evenings and weekends, such as legal clinics, educational events, or workshops;
  • Participate in PSPP meetings with other members of the collaborative as well as funders; and
  • Maintain a small caseload, including:
    • representation of clients in removal proceedings before the Executive Office for Immigration Review seeking all types of relief, including but not limited to: Asylum, Cancellation of Removal, 212(c), and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status;
    • representation of clients on affirmative applications before the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, and in guardianship and custody hearings in New York State Family Court;
    • representation of clients before federal appellate bodies and district courts with supervisor approval;
  • Maintain client files and regularly update case information in CMS’ case management database;
  • Provide required information for internal and external reporting; and
  • Assume other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

  • Required
    • JD from an accredited law school;
    • Admission to the bar of any state (NYS preferred);
    • Written and oral fluency in a 2nd language requires; Spanish preferred;
    • Minimum of four years’ experience practicing Immigration Law as an attorney;
    • Experience working with immigrants from diverse backgrounds and communities, including those who have experienced trauma;
    • Demonstrated ability to take initiative and work independently or as part of a team;
    • Strong, clear, and effective communication skills;
    • Excellent organizational and time management skills;
    • Commitment to advocating for immigrant clients in an empowering way;
    • Excellent computer skills; and
    • Ability to travel throughout the five boroughs.

Diversity and Non-Discrimination Policy:

Catholic Migration Services values workplace diversity and welcomes applicants and employees of all backgrounds. CMS strives to create a positive, supportive, and inclusive work environment for all staff.  CMS makes all employment decisions without regard to any applicant’s or employee’s protected characteristics, including their race, religion, color, national origin, immigration status, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, arrest conviction record, or marital status.

Salary and Benefits:

Salary is on a union scale based on years of experience. The salary range for four to seven years of experience is $84,475.03 to $94,061.28. CMS offers a very competitive benefits package that includes medical, dental and vision insurance coverage, transit benefits, Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and a 403(b) retirement plan including employer contribution. We offer generous leave policies, including four weeks paid vacation, four paid personal days, fourteen paid holidays and the week off between Christmas and New Year’s Days, inclusive.  

Application Instructions:

Applications will be accepted immediately and will be considered on a rolling basis. Interested applicants should send a cover letter, resume, list of two professional references and a writing sample to: Raluca Oncioiu, Managing Attorney at roncioiu@catholicmigration.org. Please include “PSPP Associate Supervising Attorney” in the subject line.

Download this job announcement as a PDF: Associate Supervising Attorney, Immigration Unit

Rockwood Music Hall Workers Sue Owner for Unpaid Wages

by | Nov 16, 2023 | News, Press Releases and Statements

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, November 16, 2023

Employees of Rockwood Music Hall, located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, are suing the venue’s owner, Kenneth Rockwood, for unpaid wages.  The workers state in their complaint that on payday they were often left empty-handed.  Mr. Rockwood often paid them only a portion of their wages or nothing at all.

Rockwood Music Hall, a well-known venue, has featured performances by many artists, including Sara Bareilles, Sting, Norah Jones, Lady Gaga.  The workers, porters who have worked at the performance space since 2011, state that the problem began in 2022, several months before Rockwood Music Hall’s corporate entity, Kenrock Enterprises, filed for bankruptcy and a #PreserveRockwood fundraising campaign was launched.  By then, Mr. Rockwood already owed the workers a significant amount of money for unpaid wages and for years of unpaid overtime.  Yet, Mr. Rockwood did not identify the workers as creditors in bankruptcy filings and did not direct any of the fundraising proceeds toward making them whole.

Meanwhile, in May 2023, Mr. Rockwood opened a new venue, also named Rockwood Music Hall, which is located in Boston.

“It affects us at the end of every week. We need the money to pay gas, electricity, and especially the rent. We cannot plan for anything,” said Roman Moreno Martinez.

“When I found out that he had money to open a new club in Boston but not to pay the workers, it offended me. It showed a lack of respect.  It wasn’t right,” added Felipe Vargas.

“After the workers came to our office with concerns about their unpaid wages, they realized that Mr. Rockwood had also failed to pay them overtime premiums, despite the fact that they nearly always worked over 40 hours per week,” said Alice Davis, their attorney.

The lawsuit, Moreno Martinez, et al. v. Rockwood, S.D.N.Y. (23-cv-10058) was filed November 15, 2023, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.  The suit alleges multiple violations under the Federal Labor Standards Act and New York Labor Law.

The lawsuit was filed on the workers’ behalf by attorneys at Catholic Migration Services.  The Workers’ Rights Program offers advice and representation to low-wage workers on issues such as wage theft and workplace discrimination.

# # #

About Catholic Migration Services: For over 50 years, Catholic Migration Services, a not-for-profit legal services provider affiliated with Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens, has been providing quality legal services to low-income individuals in New York City in the areas of immigration, housing, and employment. For more information, please visit www.catholicmigration.org and connect with us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram @CMSBQ.

 

PRESS MENTION: In Queens, Strangers Become Neighbors

by | Nov 6, 2023 | CMS in the News, News, Tenant Advocacy

Sam Ida stands with his daughter, Laila, in front of the building where their family has lived for more than a decade. Multiple rent increases over the last few years raised concerns for Mr. Ida and motivated him to help start a tenant association. (Photo: Tom Sibley for The New York Times)

Rent increases in a building in Sunnyside encouraged tenants to band together. Now they know one another’s names and help keep an eye on building management.

November 6, 2023
By D.W. Gibson

It wasn’t a dramatic rent increase. “Just $35.01,” said Sam Ida, who received a letter informing him of the change.

The notice went to everyone in his building in Queens because the increase was spurred by what’s known as a major capital improvement, or M.C.I. If a landlord makes an improvement to a building that benefits all tenants, some of those costs can be passed on to the tenants through a rent increase, which can remain in effect for up to 30 years. In the case of Mr. Ida’s building, the elevator had been renovated.

He didn’t fear paying the extra $35.01 each month — he and his wife, Aimee Nazario Ida, both work and could cover the increase. What he found unnerving was the hunch that this might not be his last M.C.I. notification.

It wasn’t.

The first had come just months before the pandemic, the second arrived after the rental market recovered. This time it was an increase of $39.12 to cover work on the building’s facade.

Mr. Ida’s family had moved into the rent-stabilized apartment 11 years earlier. His daughter, Laila, was only 2 and his son, Voltron, wasn’t yet born. But he and Ms. Ida, whom he met when they were students at the Pratt Institute, were already thinking long-term. They liked that there was an elementary school across the street, parks nearby and tree-lined sidewalks all around. “It’s a nice area for families,” Mr. Ida recalled thinking.

The neighborhood felt perfect, even if the 55-unit, brick building didn’t. “It’s old, prewar,” he said, “and not that great of a building.”

There was the time water came pouring through the ceiling. When Mr. Ida ran upstairs to knock on the door of the apartment above his, he discovered that his neighbor also had water coming through the ceiling. Together they ran up to the next floor and helped yet another neighbor locate a bathtub leak. “But we never considered these kinds of things a big deal,” he said. “We just took everything in stride.”

While Mr. Ida said the building’s super would address major issues like water cascading through multiple units, smaller things festered — cockroaches and mice, missing window guards and peeling paint. Mr. Ida, who grew up the son of a carpenter, said, “To be honest, when something’s fairly minor, I just fix it myself.”

Mr. Ida learned to looked past the challenges of the building because of the neighborhood — and the spaciousness of his family’s two-bedroom. “In New York,” he said, “it’s the biggest place I’ve ever lived.”

The apartment has provided plenty of room for his two children to grow over the years. They’re 9 and 13 now and the apartment is, with all its imperfections, the family’s home — affordable and suited to their priorities.

Occupation: Children’s book illustrator, teacher and sign maker

On making books: Mr. Ida has designed over 35 children’s books, specializing in pop-up books. “It’s a really small world,” he said. “There were only 30 or so of us when I started.” Today, he says, more artists are learning pop-up techniques. “They make single issues or very small runs of pop-up artist books, rather than publishing for the mass market.”

On hearing from readers: “Occasionally, I still get heartfelt letters or messages from people who bought my books a long time ago or found them at a thrift store,” Mr. Ida said. “There is a lot I love about making pop-up books. As an art form, it holds a great deal of untapped potential. The books can connect on a deep level with some people.”

When the multiple M.C.I. increases came along, it rattled Mr. Ida. If the increases continued, he thought, they could accumulate beyond his family’s budget, forcing a move — not just from the apartment but from their routines, schools, and beloved Sunnyside.

After the second notification arrived, he heard others start to grumble. “Every time I walked out the door,” he said, “I’d walk into a conversation about this. I think if it was just me, I wouldn’t have done anything about it, but because everyone was mobilized, we had to do something to disincentivize them from doing this perpetually.”

In March, Mr. Ida saw a flier at his local library: Catholic Migration Services, which provides legal services to immigrants, was holding a workshop focused on how to form a tenants’ association. “I told the guys who are always complaining in front of the building that we should go to the class and try to start an association,” he said. “At that workshop we really got organized and decided on a course of action, believing that we had a pretty good chance to — if not get the second increase canceled — at least get it reduced.”

Mr. Ida distributed fliers throughout the building for a first meeting. At the workshop he learned that getting a third of all tenants to attend would be a success. “For that first meeting,” he recalled, “half the building showed up.”

The association was advised by its legal counsel to request a copy of the application that had been submitted by the building’s owner. When Mr. Ida and other members of the association reviewed the materials, they noticed that certain figures provided in the paperwork did not match figures in copies of receipts that were included. “The application seemed a little thrown together,” he said. “It seemed like they weren’t really expecting anyone to take a closer look at it.”

At the same time, Mr. Ida and his neighbors decided to stop living with all the needed repairs they had learned to ignore or fix themselves: broken light fixtures, warped floors, walls crumbling from previous water leaks. “We made a list of all the violations in the building and flooded 311 with complaints related to them,” he said. According to the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the building has had 113 violations, 27 of which remain open.

With the first M.C.I. increase already implemented, the association petitioned for the second to be delayed and the request was granted. “We put the brakes on the increase and let them know we were appealing it,” Mr. Ida said. “In that process if you respond as an association, you have a much better chance of getting a better result than as an individual.”

While the association awaits an outcome regarding the second increase, Mr. Ida said the organizing has already had an effect. “Since we formed the association,” he said, “the management has been better about getting things fixed.” What’s more, the association has changed the culture of the building. “People I had only known in passing,” he said, “I finally got to know their names.”

Representatives at MCP Property Management, which manages the building, did not respond to multiple requests for a comment.

Despite the fact that so many people have lived in the building for so long, retiring there and living on a fixed income, it wasn’t until the association was formed that they started to get to know one another.

The tenants maintain an active chat group, they are aware of one another’s issues and they help their neighbors out — people store packages for each other so they aren’t stolen anymore, they keep spare keys for each other and help out with dog walks. A collection of people who shared a building have become, in the truest sense, neighbors.

“Overall, it’s made us more connected to each other. We’re working to improve the building and have a voice in that process. I feel like even if we lose on the second M.C.I., we have to push back or the people who own the building will just keep wanting more and more.”

Mr. Ida’s penchant for organizing has spilled into other areas of his life. He’s been teaching at New York University since 2014 but only recently got involved in the labor union. “After we formed the tenant association,” he said, “it inspired me to get more involved and I went to a union meeting for the first time. I’m not normally someone who would really get involved in these things, but it’s good to know you’re not alone in whatever your struggles are.”

Read the original article in The New York Times: In Queens, Strangers Become Neighbors

PRESS MENTION: Inquilinos demandan a casero: por estar ocho meses sin gas y por acoso

by | Sep 15, 2023 | CMS in the News, News

Screenshot of news coverage from NY1 Noticias.

Screenshot of news coverage via NY1 Noticias.

September 15, 2023
By NY1 Noticias

Antonio Flores dice que por años ha padecido acoso de parte del casero donde vive.

Y al igual que él, otras 5 familias mexicanas que viven en el edificio ubicado en el 28-18 de la Avenida 38th, en Long Island City, Queens, han demandado ante la corte de vivienda al propietario del inmueble por haberlos dejado sin gas durante 8 meses.

Y también aseguran, porque los vigilan cada paso que dan.

“El problema es que tenemos mucho acoso por un hombre que contrató el dueño, nos acosaba mucho, nos investigaba, a qué hora salíamos de la casa, sacaba fotos”, dijo Antonio Flores, inquilino.

Poco antes de la audiencia ante el juez, todos ellos acompañados de activistas protestaron frente a la corte, en espera que sus voces y reclamos sea escuchados y fallen a su favor.

Martín Hernández, quien también es inquilino, ya le demandó hace 10 anos por agresión física y ganó. Sin embargo, el acoso no ha parado, asegura.

“Eso fue a parar hasta la corte obviamente y se le pusieron cargos al super, y desafortunadamente al dueño no se le pudieron poner cargos por el poder que tiene y hasta la fecha sigue acosándome, esto no termina”, dijo Hernández.

Antonia Martínez no se queda atrás, pues dice que también ha sido blanco de injurias y hasta de amenazas.

“El dueño y sus trabajadores nos han hecho discriminación, nos amenazan con que si no tenemos los documentos legales nos van a intimidar diciendo que inmigración anda cogiendo a la gente sin documentos”, dijo Antonia.“El dueño y sus trabajadores nos han hecho discriminación, nos amenazan con que si no tenemos los documentos legales nos van a intimidar diciendo que inmigración anda cogiendo a la gente sin documentos”, dijo Antonia.

Viven constantemente con miedo, dicen los inquilinos.

“Nuestros hijos también tienen miedo de sus trabajadores y del dueño porque no se sienten libre de vivir en el departamento, y es muy estresante”, agregó Antonia.

Como estresante es la permanente vigilancia…

“Instaló cámaras, de hecho nos mandó fotos que cuando salimos, cuando botamos basura, a la hora que llegamos del trabajo”, dijo Hernández.

La demanda también exige la reparación por los meses sin gas en sus apartamentos.

“Los inquilinos están pidiendo una reducción de renta de la cuenta que se debe ahora, por la huelga por no tener gras por 8 meses, y también una reducción en la renta del futuro para poder quedarse en su hogar”, dijo Amy Collado, de Servicios Católicos de Migración.

Enviamos un correo al propietario, pero hasta el cierre de este reportaje no obtuvimos respuesta.

See the original news coverage via NY1 Noticias (en español): Inquilinos demandan a casero: por estar ocho meses sin gas y por acoso