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APRIL-JUNE 2007
Employee Free Choice Act Vote is this Week! A vote is expected in the Senate on the Employee Free Choice Act any day now! Thousands will rally tomorrow, June 19th, in cities across the country to demand passage of this important workers' rights legislation. Please take a moment to take action & tell your Senators to support this Bill. Over the last weeks and months, JwJ coalitions have stepped up their activity to support this legislation.
Also last week, hundreds gathered at a Kentucky JwJ Workers' Rights Board Hearing about conditions Toyota's Georgetown, KY plant. Workers testified that Toyota plans to cut pay and replace injured workers with temporary employees, who receive half the pay of full-time workers and few benefits. Noel Christian Riddell, a 10-year veteran skilled-trades worker, told the WRB that he and another worker were fired after they discussed recent media leaks about workers’ pay. The documents indicated that Toyota is considering cutting some wages to lower overall expenses. Several speakers told the WRB that in order for conditions to improve at the plant, workers need to have more of a voice in how the plant is run, and the ability to freely form a union. The Employee Free Choice Act would help level the playing field for workers who want to form unions. It would restore workers’ freedom to form unions and bargain by strengthening penalties for companies that coerce or intimidate employees, establishing mediation and binding arbitration when the employer and workers cannot agree on a first contract, and enabling employees to form unions when a majority express their decision to join the union by signing authorization cards. US Social Forum Starts Next Week Thousands of people from across the country will converge in Atlanta, GA next week for the first ever US Social Forum! Jobs with Justice coalitions are sending more than 250 people to participate in the forum. The USSF will be a unique space to build ties with movement-building organizations and activists in the US, to learn from each other, share our analysis of the issues we face, and renew our inspiration. We'll refuel the leadership, consciousness, vision, and strategy needed to realize another world. The USSF sends a message to other peoples’ movements around the world that there is an active grassroots movement in the US opposing US policies at home and abroad, and that Another World is Possible! If you're coming to the USSF, be sure to join us. Below are some of the events that JwJ will be part of during the USSF. ACTION: Atlanta JwJ has played a crucial role in planning the kick-off march through Atlanta starting on Thursday @ 2pm. 20TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY: Come & party with JwJ! Thursday, June 29th 9:30pm-12:30am, Westin Peachtree Plaza Ballroom. WORKSHOPS ORGANIZED BY NATIONAL JOBS WITH JUSTICE & THE STUDENT LABOR ACTION PROJECT:
WORKSHOPS ORGANIZED BY LOCAL JwJ COALITIONS:
WORKERS' RIGHTS PLENARY: JwJ's National Executive Director, Sarita Gupta, will be co-moderating this plenary at 8pm Saturday at the Civic Center. TABLING: We'll be selling merchandise and handing out info Inside the Civic Center throughout the Forum. Immigrant Rights Mobilizations Coast to Coast on May 1st Jobs with Justice coalitions across the country joined marches and rallies for immigrant rights on May 1st.
Almost 1,000 Rhode Islanders joined RI JwJ on a march to the state house on May 1 to demand justice for immigrant workers and to protest the anti-immigrant legislation that’s been introduced this year. In Boston, JwJ helped organize a forum on 4/30 called “Immigration: Challenges & Opportunities for the Labor Movement,” where folks discussed the history of labor and immigration and how we can build for the future and how to prevent future workplace raids like the one in New Bedford, MA earlier this year. JwJ also supported numerous community marches and the 500-person rally in Boston on May 1. The Tompkins County Workers’ Center/JwJ organized a rally of over 200 people at The Commons in Ithaca, NY to declare “No Human Being is Illegal.” Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BdhMIVfk_E for a particularly moving speech by Nigerian student, Eronmonsele Elens-Eigbokhan. More than 50 people came to May 1 Rally for Immigrant Rights in Albany, NY. The rally was organized by the Capital District Workers’ Center, the Labor Religion Coalition/JwJ, LCLAA and the local Catholic Worker house. Portland Jobs with Justice, as an active member of the Immigrant Rights Coalition which put on their May Day march, took to the streets in solidarity to stop the attacks on immigrant workers, to stop the raids and deportation, and to stop breaking families apart. Portland Jobs with Justice was key to helping mobilize labor folks for the peaceful, spirited march of more than 10,000 people. Rhode Island JwJ Organizes Pilgrimage for Prosperity & Promise
Tompkins County Workers’ Center/JwJ Initiates Living Wage Employer Certification Program The Tompkins County Workers’ Center/JwJ in Ithaca, NY recently decided to affiliate with JwJ and their charter application was approved by the JwJ Board this spring! The TCWC/JwJ is composed of a group of low and middle income residents of Tompkins County, as well as more than 50 affiliated organizations. Their mission is to stand up with all workers treated unfairly at work or faced with critical poverty, racial, housing, health care or other social and economic issues. The main projects of TCWC/JwJ include: Living Wage Advocacy, the Workers’ Rights Center, the Immigrant Rights center, Service Learning for Social Justice, the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign, the Peace and Justice Center, and the Religious Task Force of the living wage campaign. In addition, the TCWC/JwJ has recently initiated a Living Wage Employer Certification Program to publicly recognize and reward employers in the private, public and non-profit sectors that do pay a living wage, and to provide market-based rewards and incentives for them and others that would like to do so. For more info on TCWC/JwJ, visit www.tcworkerscenter.org. Southern Oregon Jobs with Justice Supports Nurses First Contract Fight The JwJ Board approved a charter for Southern Oregon Jobs with Justice this spring, and they are already holding up to their pledge to “be there” for someone else’s fight, as well as their own! The nurses of Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg, OR, voted more than a year ago to be represented by the Oregon Nurses Association, but they have yet to reach a contract agreement with the hospital. The negotiations are now in mediation and rallying call to show solidarity with the workers was met from Southern Oregon Jobs with Justice. Over a dozen carpooled north from the Rogue Valley representing Southern Oregon Jobs with Justice and its affiliates to support the rally to help nudge the hospital to do the right thing and agree to terms. Central Oregon JwJ Celebrates Transit Worker Victory On May 12, a scheduled solidarity rally for Bend Area Transit workers turned into a victory celebration! Central Oregon Jobs with Justice celebrated the decision by Paratransit Services to drop their appeal of the Bend Area Transit union election, recognize the union, and bargain a contract with BAT employees represented by Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757. The one hundred person crowd also cheered as they learned that Russ Evans, a bus driver who was fired shortly after testifying in support of the union, got rehired with full back pay. In late January, BAT workers voted to join ATU Local 757, but Paratransit challenged the election and appealed a National Labor Relations Board hearing officer’s judgment in favor of the workers joining the ATU. Now that Paratransit’s appeal has been dropped, Central Oregon JwJ will continue to support the workers as they negotiate a first contract! Unions & Managers Work Together to Improve Relations & Morale in WA Tensions between management and union workers at Rainier School and Community Health Care (CHC) had led to rallies, strikes, and low morale several years ago. JwJ activists might recall that the top managers of both of these organizations won “Grinch of the Year” contests in Pierce County, WA. While receiving a Grinch award from JwJ activists is not exactly the most joyous aspect of the Holiday season for a manager, such a confrontation can sometimes lead to acknowledging a crisis and searching for ways to improve a difficult relationship. We are excited to applaud both David Flentge CEO of CHC, and Neil Crowley Superintendent of Rainier School, for courageously demonstrating how well collective bargaining and union-management relations can work in the last few years. At the Rainier School, worksite leaders from WFSE 491 and managers initiated several union-management meetings to clear the air and find common ground. Union members suggested concrete steps to address issues that had driven down morale and these suggestions were taken seriously. Emerging from these sessions, management:
At Community Health Care, CEO David Flentge asked worksite union leaders of SEIU 1199NW to build relations with frontline staff and union leaders to help heal tensions. As a result, Flentge took a tour of the clinics with worksite union member leader Tom Franks, President Diane Sosne, and staff Organizer Lisa Harlow. On the tour, President Sosne asked members about workplace issues. After the tour, Flentge went into collective bargaining with elected union leaders from the frontlines eager to work on how to improve patient care and working conditions. CHC Management hired an attorney-negotiator that was not anti-union. Throughout the bargaining process the CHC management team worked hard to generate creative and responsive proposals that met the needs of both union members and the agency. Negotiations moved quickly and arrived at a new union contract ratified by an overwhelming majority of CHC members. Post negotiations, the management team has continued to work diligently to maintain a respectful relationship with SEIU 1199NW members. Flentge has made it very clear that the management team will continue to work hard to resolve conflicts in the work place rather than escalate them. Workplace improvements included:
These are the kind of management models that increase productivity and result in quality patient care that the entire Rainier School and Community Healthcare communities can be proud of. Utah JwJ Holds WRB Hearing on Health Care Utah Jobs with Justice held a Workers' Rights Board Hearing on health care last month where public testimony was taken from workers' whose experiences best reflect the health care crisis facing Utah and communities across the nation. The Utah Workers' Rights Board seats community leaders who are charged with the responsibility of questioning the witnesses and endorsing a solution that is in the best interest of all working Utahans. Health care testimonies were heard from a wide range of witnesses. A call to Congress to hold serious hearing regarding the need for a single payer, national solution to the U.S. healthcare crisis, as embodied in House Resolution 676, the “Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act.” Indianapolis JwJ Supports Library Worker Victory The staff of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library finally got the opportunity to vote for union representation on Tuesday, May 23, 2007, and they voted for AFSCME Council 62 by a solid majority of 146-69. The vote took place only after much foot dragging by the Library Board and an effort by administrators to persuade the workers to vote against unionizing. The vote took place in a highly unusual legal framework established by the Board after a lengthy campaign by the workers and their community supporters. Because Indiana still has no comprehensive public employee collective bargaining law, the workers first needed to persuade the Board to establish a process for recognizing the union. Although the workers asked the Board to adopt a voluntary recognition process that would allow a neutral third party to verify that there was majority support for the union (two-thirds of the workers had signed authorization cards), the Board declined to do so. Instead, the Board, after many delays, voted to require the workers to go through an election process. The election process, however, was not a normal election process. Unlike a private sector NLRB election, where a majority of the workers voting in an election determine the outcome, the Library Board mandated that at least 75 percent of the eligible employees would have to vote for the election to be considered valid. In addition, the Library Board said they would only recognize the union if a majority of all of the eligible workers, not just the workers voting in the election, voted for the union. The worker organizing committee deserves much credit for what they have accomplished over the past two years. Not only did they effectively communicate with their coworkers, but they never gave up as they struggled to get the Library Board to establish a process for achieving union recognition. They kept lobbying Board members even when it was clear that most of the Board members would prefer that the workers would go away, they kept going to Board meetings even when the Board would not let them speak, and they conducted public demonstrations to keep the pressure on the Board members. The IMCPL workers will now begin bargaining for their first union contract, and they are prepared to fight for it just like they fought for the right to have union representation. And, based on their experiences so far, it looks like winning a fair contract will require significant effort and support from the community. We will keep you posted and let you know if there are things that you can do to help. "Thank you!" to those Jobs with Justice pledge signers who have supported the library workers by lobbying the Board members, attending Board meetings, and standing with the library workers at demonstrations. JwJ Supports Strike at Community College of Philadelphia It took nearly two weeks on strike, but teachers and support staff at Community College of Philadelphia have won a new five-year contract that includes full employer-paid health care premiums, raises of 3.62% per year, and bonuses that equal an additional 0.3% of salary. AFT Local 2026, representing 400 full-time faculty, 700 part-time faculty, and 200 support staff, had held a "practice strike" in February, due to the fact that the Administration was demanding givebacks in health care, faculty rights, and seniority. Jobs with Justice turned out dozens of SLAP and other union supporters for a rally that day, and put the college on notice that the local union had the support of the community. The local, co-led by JwJ activist John Braxton, then voted to strike after the Administration insisted that it had made its "last and best" offer. On the fourth day of the strike, JwJ called a rally and initiated a campaign that sent more than 120 faxes to CCP President Stephen Curtis. On the tenth day of the strike, several hundred strikers strikers marched to City Hall to demand that City Council and the mayor increase funding for the college. JwJ initiated another fax campaign, this time to the mayor. The strike became one of the leading news stories in the region for two weeks, with very positive images on TV and in the newspapers of janitors, clerks, and professors on the picket lines together. Members from AFSCME, the Coalition of Labor Union Women, Hospital and Health Care workers Local 1199c and 1199p, SEIU Local 32 BJ, IBEW Local 98, AFT Local 3, and the Carpenters all supported the strike in a variety of ways. The pressure from the strike brought help from Democratic Congressman and party chair Bob Brady, who was able to secure $800,000 in additional funds that will be given to the faculty and staff in the form of bonuses. There are major victories are major victories that the faculty and staff will be paid more money as a result of the strike and the support for the strike. Furthermore, the strike built a whole new layer of union activists within the membership. As a result the union emerges with both a concrete victory and with a stronger organizational base than before, and ready to take on the next challenge--a no confidence vote in President Stephen Curtis. Victory For Hunger Strikers At UVM
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MEDIA LINKS Lynn's GE workers looking out for retirees in contract talks Wal-Mart workers give back US SOCIAL FORUM Trane wants to know who will be speaking at BOA meetings Middle Class Workers Thank Government Leaders Toyota Workers Call For Unionization Civic leaders hear Toyota workers' call for union Civic leaders hear Toyota workers' call for union Atlanta: Activists Defeat Paratransit Fare Changes for MARTA Another Wal-Mart Livable Wage Campaign Toyota Workers: Company Runs over Our Rights Workers urge changes at Toyota UAW Stepping Up Drive to Organize Toyota's US Plant Workers UVM livable wage figures misleading, gap still remains News briefs from around Kentucky at 5:58 pm EDT Kentucky Toyota Workers Call for Union Hold IDAs accountable turmoil at toyota Harvard security guards reach tentative agreement on new deal Harvard security guards reach tentative agreement on new deal Group: Brooklyn Subsidizing Its Own Job Loss Harvard security guards agree on new deal The Heart Of The Labor Movement The People's Republic Harvard security guards reach tentative agreement on new deal Lawmakers trim some of state's budget gap The wage debate LI labor group backs reform Wal-Mart lets public foot the bill The IDA at 30 Eastern Oregon Catholics feel economy's pinch Tomei, Swados, Ensler, Etc. Set for Women Center Stage Fest UW agrees to phase out sweatshop apparel DEVELOPMENT: IDAs contribute to sprawl, according to study Security guards' backers planning Harvard protest Local Scenery | 05.06 Why should you go to the US Social Forum? Group wants health reforms blocked Think Tank Unveils Benchmarks to Cut Poverty in Half in Ten Years SLAP's Unfinished Victory Speakers flay state of health insurance Hoyt preparing IDA reform bill Peace advocates combine efforts to push nonviolence Fewer turn out for immigration rally For restaurateurs, $1.12 is a big change Corporate Welfare Reform for New York Labor questions IDA tax breaks A Hunger Strike Epidemic? The Unfairest of Them All Critics: Empire Zones, IDAs not doing much to create jobs State Blogs Jobless Janitors To Protest Outside Nova Southeastern Student apathy yields debate Rally held for immigration rights UVM livable wage figures misleading Report blasts value of IDAs Report: City gave breaks to firms that cut jobs Westlund to speak at solidarity rally for BAT union Backlash seen building against unrestricted trade, job cuts in US Thousands of immigrants rally, plan to march in Seattle March and rally today support immigration reform Rally today downtown to focus on immigration Idealistic No More Immigrants rally in scores of cities A new day in Chicago politics Seattle students walkout against the Iraq war Immigration march planned Wal-Mart plan meets opposition A call for action UB Law Alumni to Honor 6 at Annual Dinner UVM students end hunger strike in 'compromise' with administration Seattle Students Walkout Against the Iraq War — School Board Under ... AHA Quietly Passes Eviction Plan Amidst Shouting, Public Unaware Another year, another march UVM students end hunger strike, make deal with administration UVM students stage hunger strike Tearing Down The Wall At UPS, Smithfield, and Verizon? UVM students on hunger strike for higher wages for workers UVM students on hunger strike for higher wages for workers We Are Proudly Making Global Enemies Residents Take Over Public Housing Meeting at Atlanta City Hall Health Care Panel Meets At Saint Mary's Weyerhaeuser taregeted for "out-of-date environmental and human ... Workers on arts-sports venues will get 'living wage,' city vows Public Housing Evictions Starting Already, Residents Plead for Help Farm workers' bus tour ends in victory rally Tent city goes up again at UVM Minimum-wage effort backers dismayed by efforts to gut bill Activists Mobilize to Save Atlanta Public Housing, Seek Legal Options Audio: Congressional Democrats Up the Ante in Iraq Debate Governor seeks students for Board of Education Why US Trade Unionists Should Attend the US Social Forum Keep a close eye on minimum wage Farm workers target McDonald's next Neither Washington Nor Stowe: Common Sense For The Working Vermonter Bend council holds firm on veterans bridge UAW Says It Wants to Assist Worker-rights group to hold Toyota hearing Groups fight higher fees for immigration Workers' rights group aims at Toyota Georgetown plant Toyota Workers in Kentucky Demand a Share in Company’s Success Toyota work complaints spur panel Toyota employees back worker rights board In Seattle, Thousands Demonstrate Against the War |
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On June 14 , more than 200 people joined Jobs with Justice in Columbus, OH to demand that Senator Voinovich support the Employee Free Choice Act. AFL-CIO Organizing Direc tor Stewart Acuff told the crowd, "We are suffering from a 30-year assault on workers’ freedom to form unions and bargain collectively. That assault has now effectively denied workers any right to organize. And that has translated into the middle-class squeeze. The only way to strengthen and expand America’s middle class is to make sure workers have the freedom to form unions and bargain collectively." Four workers told the stories of what the opposition they and their co-workers faced while they were in the process of forming a union at their workplace and trying to secure a first union contract. Follow these links to see 
Last week, Southern Oregon JwJ sent a delegation to the offices of Senator Gordon Smith. The delegation met with one of the Senator's aides and expresed their hopes that Sen. Smith will support the legislation this week.
Central Florida Jobs with Justice joined allies ACORN and the Farm Workers Association of Florida for a rally and March around Lake Eola in the Orlando Downtown district. Spirits were high and a positive message of calling our legislative leaders to act in favor of comprehensive immigration reform was seen through out the day. More than 1,000 people joined together to hear community and faith based leaders speak on pressing issues for immigrants in the country today like deportation, civil rights violations, higher education and healthcare. Afterwards, children of immigrant families led the march around the Lake with flags, signs and chants. This event was strategically done at Lake Eola in front of the offices of key political leaders Senator Mel Martinez and U.S. representative Corrine Brown . Trabajos Con Justica was also a key message as many took on the pledge to be there to fight for immigrant and worker’s rights. Also, petitions were circulating regarding the need of driver’s licenses for immigrants to Florida Governor Charlie Crist. Over 700 signatures were collected. As Central Florida immigrant communities grow so does the solidarity and demand for a comprehensive and sensible immigration policy in this country that is just and beneficial for all. Central Florida JwJ is actively involved fighting for immigrant rights currently with a standing immigrant rights committee. 
Chicago JwJ joined a march of 200,000 in to call for immigration reform and an end to raids and deportations. Labor unions rallied at the Haymarket Memorial and joined the larger march en route to Grant Park.
On April 26 and 27, RI JwJ organized the “Pilgrimage for Prosperity and Promise,” a twenty-six mile journey to make public the sacrifices working people make every day and to call for a RI that works for everyone. The Pilgrimage concluded with a WRB hearing presided over by retired Superior Court Judge Fortunato, Councilman Miguel Luna, State Senators and Representatives, Community Leaders and Leaders of Faith. The Pilgrimage and WRB hearing highlighted impact of the state’s budget crisis. RI is facing proposed budget cuts aimed at closing a projected $354-million deficit this fiscal year and next which would slash money for free and subsidized programs which provide child care, health insurance and other services to low-income residents. State workers facing privatization marched with janitors and other low income workers to demand that the RI legislature stop balancing the budget on the backs of the poor. The WRB echoed this call. They called on the state to restore vital programs and to stop the elimination of RI’s Capital Gains Tax.
After five days, the twelve hunger strikers at the University of Vermont in Burlington struck a compromise with University President Daniel Fogel over establishing a livable wage for all of UVM's employees. The students only took water or juice and lived in a tent outside the University administration building to demand a raise for UVM's lowest paid workers. Community members and other students showed their support by cheering on the strikers in classes and around campus. The students pushed President Fogel to make a commitment to ensure that workers are always compensated at a level that meets their basic needs. Sam Maron, one of the coordinators of UVM SLAP, said "We now have the ability to hold the administration accountable to their words, and now there is a significantly greater level of transparency that didn't exist before."
More than 70 students, clergy, and community members braved pouring down rain and freezing temperatures during the Student Labor Week of Action to show support for the Allied Barton security officers' ongoing struggle. The prayer vigil and rally culminated with a march to University of Pennsylvania's President's office, where local faith leaders delivered a letter demanding a meeting with the University. Days later, representatives from the Security and Justice Campaign met with Craig Carnaroli, U-Penn Executive Vice President, to discuss the Allied Barton Security insufficient sick day policy. 
Allied-Barton, despite worker and student pressure, has left more than 16,000 largely African-American work force in dire poverty, without affordable health care, pensions or paid sick days. Having demonstrated the company's readiness to crack down on union activists through suspensions, firings, cutting hours, shift and job changes and pay reductions, broad-based, community pressure is necessary to prevent company backlash against workers exercising their rights to freedom of speech, assembly and association.
For almost a year, UNITE HERE members at Lechner & Sons, an industrial laundry, have been on strike demanding dignity and justice. The mostly immigrant women workers went last week to one of their employer’s clients, El Milagro Tortilleria, to ask that they reflect the values of the communities they serve by not doing business with Lechner & Sons until they bargain in good faith and give these workers the respect they’ve earned. 