By Mark Spadafore

As in the other communities with Partnership organizations, we here in Syracuse face some serious challenges. Not only have we seen a loss of high quality jobs and rise in poverty, but we are not on the radar screen of national funders and unions. People are not looking to Syracuse to fuel the rebirth of manufacturing, or to incubate the newest strategies for rebuilding urban cores. To the people who live here, though, there is no more important place to do this work.

Sometimes I think if we can make the strategies and goals of the Partnership work in Syracuse, we can make it anywhere and become a model for how to reverse economic downturn in communities across the country. So with that hopeful thought, let me discuss what it’s been like to start a new organization in an area that has seen better days.

Syracuse has a lot to be proud of.  Besides the fact that Syracuse gets more snow than any other metro area in the country, at the peak of our economic activity, the Erie Canal in its century-long existence, contributed more to the growth of Syracuse than anything in its history.  At the turn of the last century, 90% of the nations garment pressing machines were manufactured right here in Syracuse. Literacy Volunteers was founded here in 1962 - helping thousands of adults world-wide to read.  Syracuse native Robert E. Dietz can boast ownership of an English patent issued by Queen Victoria in 1873 for a self-setting animal trap better known as a mousetrap.  And the dental chair was invented by Syracuse’s Milton Waldo Hanchett in 1840.

Fast-forward to the 21^st Century…

The picture in Syracuse is not as hopeful as it once was. Poverty for residents of all ages increased from 4.6% to 27.3 % of the population from 1990 to 2000.  In 2005, 26.3% of families in Syracuse fell below the federal poverty line.

When I was growing up in this community, General Electric, Carrier, and General Motors were the staples of an economy that provided for a middle-class life that sustained good schools, good jobs, and complimented the large workforce at Syracuse University and SUNY Upstate Hospital.

Now, General Electric and General Motors are gone while Carrier is a shadow of its former self.  The local economy is shifting away from manufacturing, but the culture of the area is not shifting with it.  Syracuse’s history of manufacturing led to the creation of a “service” culture.  Many community groups that SANE is engaging have a tradition of servicing the community, rather than organizing the community.  This service-based approach has lead to a feeling of powerlessness among communities of color, as well as working families in the area.  There hasn’t been any large-scale organizing in this community in many years – either in the union or community sector.  When Saul Alinsky was asked why he failed to organize in Syracuse, he said, “Have you ever been to Syracuse?”

Even though SANE has broad challenges to face, there is also hope.  Unlike other areas of the country, Syracuse still has union density of 25%, though most if it is in the public sector.  There is a willingness on the part of community groups to join with Labor to try to build a better economy.  These are the pieces of the puzzle to organize that create real power.  The question then becomes: can we be united for a specific vision and purpose to ensure that working families thrive in Syracuse?

SANE believes that labor/community unity in Syracuse to tackle the economic challenges ahead of us is possible.  With the help from the Partnership, people from various community groups are listening to our message for accountable development and shared prosperity.  Communities of color are looking to SANE to provide innovative solutions to rebuild their neighborhoods and provide economic opportunities.  Labor is looking to SANE to rebuild their ranks in industries where they have been previously shut out.  Environmental groups are looking to SANE for opportunities to engage the community around environmental justice issues.  As a result of our base-building efforts, elected officials and people in positions of power are paying attention to what we say and what we demand.

Will power concede to our demands? Or will we be chased out like Saul Alinsky?  When we begin organizing our communities and fighting to restore the economic well-being for working families, we are confident that decision-makers will do right by working people.  This includes providing community benefits such as new parks, affordable housing, better public transit, and local jobs that pay good wages and benefits.

So far, so good.  But as fall turns to winter, we in Syracuse know that the wind can blow cold.  The work is to wear enough layers to ward off those cold winds of apathy, greed, division and remain steadfast in our quest for economic prosperity for the people of Syracuse.  SANE is working – the question becomes whether we can get those layers on our backs before the snow hits!