Citizen Action

Citizen Action of New York is a statewide membership organization founded in 1983. We have individual members and are a coalition of labor, senior citizen, women's, student, tenant and community organizations that works with community activists for social and economic justice. We fight for quality affordable health care for all, jobs that pay living wages with decent benefits, expanded Medicare coverage for seniors that includes prescription drugs, strong investment in public education and after-school programs, campaign finance reform, an end to corporate tax loopholes and tax breaks for the wealthy, and consumer protections. Citizen Action of New York has six regional chapters. Each is a vibrant local organization with local leadership, paid professional organizing staff, a local agenda and an active, diverse membership. Each has developed a strategy, program and structure to meet the organizing and political challenges that most affect their region. At the same time, all five share overall goals and a statewide program. Citizen Action is also the New York State affiliate of USAction, which brings together citizen organizations from around the country to form a strong national progressive voice. Our major accomplishments include:Family Health Plus and Child Health Plus, health care programs that provide affordable health coverage to hundreds of thousands of children and adults in working families. The Managed Care Consumers' Bill of Rights, a law that provides strong HMO and health insurance protections for New York consumers, including the right to appeal to independent medical experts when an insurance company denies care. A Living Wage Law for Buffalo, which guarantees that Buffalo city contractors pay decent wages to their employees. Campaign Finance Reform in New York City, where Citizen Action's ballot initiative campaign was the strategic catalyst, prompting the City Council to pass a campaign finance reform law that provides partial public funding to candidates who agree not to accept large special interest donations. Environmental Protections in Communities throughout New York, by blocking urban sprawl on Long Island's North Shore, stopping construction of a toxic waste incinerator in Binghamton and winning clean-up of a lead-poisoned playground in Buffalo.