News and Alerts

Be a part of the UU Climate Justice Revival!

UU FaithAction NJ is one of the Institutional Sponsors for the UU Climate Justice Revival, “Reimagine Together: From an Extractive Age to a New Era.” The goal of the UU Climate Justice Revival is to equip UU congregations to enter into a new era of climate action—one that intentionally and faithfully breaks down silos and cultivates relationships that lead to flourishing collaborations that transform congregations through climate justice.

Learn more about the UU Climate Revival and how your congregation can be a part of it. Visit https://uuclimatejustice.org for comprehensive details and to register your congregation to participate.

How does it work?
On September 28-29, participating congregations will host UU Climate Justice Revivals to collectively reimagine a spirit-filled and liberatory future. Through conversations, worship, and advocacy, congregations will work together to realize climate justice and collective liberation in our communities. Congregations will receive everything they need to host a revival in their communities, including discussion guides and materials for all ages, training, worship resources, and advocacy actions designed to transform our communities through climate justice.

Day 1 of the revival features facilitated conversations. Participating congregations designate at least two people as facilitators who will receive a toolkit, training and support to host the activities.

Day 2 is for Worship and Advocacy. Participating congregations receive worship materials, sample sermons, recordings and sheet music of the song commissioned to celebrate the revival. Following worship services, congregations will join in a national advocacy hour.

In New Jersey, Beacon UU Congregation in Summit and the UU Congregation at Montclair have already signed up to participate. Several other congregations are in the process of discerning how they can be involved.

We at UU FaithAction want to support the congregations who are participating as well as facilitate collaboration among congregations who would like to work together to be involved.

An idea that we’re currently exploring is an alternative date (perhaps in the spring) for a collaborative Climate Justice Revival among multiple congregations. This might include multi-platform Day 1 facilitated conversation or perhaps a hosted conversation for multiple congregations in a region. This also might assist congregations for whom the September 28-29 dates aren’t possible (and the UU Climate Justice Revival is already supporting congregations who opt for an alternative date).

What this means for your congregation.
First, know that UU FaithAction wants to be a resource for every NJ congregation who is interested in participating. Both the Beacon and Montclair congregations have expressed openness to having other congregations join their Climate Justice Revival offerings. Other congregations exploring how they might choose to participate have also expressed interest in collaborating. Congregations who are interested in being part of the conversation about a collaborative Climate Justice Revival date are encouraged to let us at UU FaithAction know as we work to facilitate further conversations in this regard.

And that’s the call to action in a nutshell. If you’re a congregation who is planning to participate in the revival as an individual congregation on September 28-29, let us know. If your congregation wants to be part of the ongoing conversation about collaboration for an alternate revival date, let us know. If you have general questions, let us know. Please email us at admin@uufaithaction.org.

This is such an important opportunity to move past systems and cultures of extraction to usher in a new era with love and justice at the center of our climate actions. It’s time to Reimagine Together!

Open Letter to the NJ Legislature on Public Transit

Originally published by Environment New Jersey

Photo by Adam E. Moreira


NJ Transportation Legislative Organizational Letter, Spring 2024

May 6, 2024

Dear Senate President Scutari, Assembly Speaker Coughlin, and Members of the NJ Legislature:

The undersigned 34 labor, social justice, transportation, environmental and community organizations write to urge you to: 1) halt the 15% NJ Transit (NJT) fare hike; 2) repurpose funds designated for the unneeded and unwanted expansion of the NJ Turnpike to replace the revenue that would be generated by the fare increase; 3) support and expand Gov. Murphy’s FY25 budget proposal for a corporate transit fee (CTF) to provide $800 million in dedicated funding for mass transit to avoid NJT’s upcoming fiscal cliff, which should include a full restoration of the Corporate Business Tax surcharge; and 4) end the raids on NJT’s capital budget and dedicate the Clean Energy Fund transfer to bus electrification to ensure that NJT can make desperately needed operational and infrastructure improvements.

Statehouse Environment and Energy News

By Michael Skelly, Environmental Justice Task Force member

Following hours of impassioned testimony on Monday, March 11, New Jersey Senate Environment and Energy Chairman Bob Smith suddenly called a Thursday meeting of the Environment and Energy Committee. Advocates and the media were taken by surprise by the swift action.
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Three bills had made it onto the agenda as the result of a lengthy and arduous process of public meetings, study, and modifications that had stretched through the last two years and into 2024. At stake was whether the bills would be approved and released for further consideration to possibly become law or be defeated in committee.

Activists and Union Members from NJIT Rally for Full Corporate Surcharge Outside State Budget Hearing

From For The Many NJ


Community leaders point to budget cuts and drastic fare hikes as proof that New Jersey needs to tax corporations more, not less.

March 19, 2024

NEWARK – Outside the State Senate’s public budget hearing at the NJIT campus in Newark, union workers, students, activists, and community leaders from the For The Many NJ coalition rallied in support of bringing back the full Corporation Business Tax surcharge on corporations with over $1 million in profits.

Advocates Celebrate Partial Restoration of New Jersey’s Corporate Surcharge to Benefit NJ Transit

Workers and Advocates from For The Many NJ Urge Lawmakers Not to Leave Needed Revenue on the Table

Trenton, NJ: In response to Governor Murphy proposing a partial restoration of the corporate surcharge to fund NJ Transit in next year’s budget, For The Many NJ released the following statement from Eric Benson, Campaign Director:

“This is a big win for the countless advocates, workers, and transit riders from across the state who have spent the last year calling on corporations to pay their fair share in taxes.