VICTORY — AGAIN!
After a long and difficult battle, we can proudly report that we have once again defeated Governor Paterson and his job-killing plan to legalize the sale of wine in grocery stores and 19,000 new outlets. Congratulations on a job well done to every member and supporter of the Coalition. This truly was a grassroots victory. Click here to read our victory press release.
Every call you made and every letter you sent made a difference – and the massive Lobby Day we conducted left a powerful impression on the Legislature for weeks afterward. And we have plenty of friends to thank for this victory too.
Let's start with more than 100 wineries from across the State. These small business owners really stepped up for us this year and we can never forget what they did for us. We have listed all the wineries that joined our cause in the "supporters" tab on this site — it's important to remember your friends – but also remember that every winery is a future supporter. We need to keep up the good work we have started to promote ALL New York wines and wineries.
We need to thank Law Enforcement Against Drunk Driving and the many substance abuse organizations that supported our cause, along with the National Federation of Independent Businesses and chambers of commerce across the State. There were also many local legislators that joined the cause, and we thank them as well.
We had tremendous support from our friends in the labor community, from UFCW, RWDSU and the Teamsters. They helped make the case that this plan would kill jobs and hurt working families across New York. Of course, we had great support from our industry partners.
We'll save the biggest thank you to the State Legislature, which gets a bad rap on many issues but proved once again that they listen to the facts and make the right decision based on the merits of our arguments. Together, we demonstrated that democracy can work when people mobilize and speak out.
Click here to send a letter to your local legislators thanking them for their support, and thank all those who worked with us. We all know we will need their help again in the future.
