When NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed to make all workplaces 100% smoke-free in 2002, advocates knew Big Tobacco would create significant obstacles. With crucial support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a coalition of local activists turned to M+R for help.
M+R launched a 3-month campaign to reframe the smoke-free debate as a workers’ rights issue, educate the public about the health risks of secondhand smoke, and ensure that decision-makers saw strong public support for smoke-free air. We organized more than 120 educational and field events across the city, mobilized workers and activists to testify at City Council hearings, and generated media coverage in every major outlet, as well as in community and ethnic outlets including The Bayside Times, The Canarsie Courier, El Diario, and Sing Tao Daily.
Three months later, Mayor Bloomberg signed a law protecting workers from secondhand smoke in all workplaces, including restaurants and bars!
For more information, please contact Michael O'Loughlin at moloughlin@mrss.com or (917) 438-4609.
