Jobs with Justice Blog » jwjnational

Shareholder Spring Launches

jwjnational — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 04:15:45 +0000

This week thousands of community and labor activists launched over 60 actions building towards the Shareholder Spring, delivering letters to the executives of the corporations in this country most responsible for undermining our democracy, crashing our economy, poisoning our environment and widening the gap between rich and poor.

On Wednesday, February 1st, Respect DC members returned to Marriott headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland to talk to Walmart board member and Marriott International President Arne Sorenson. Respect DC is calling on Mr. Sorenson to meet with members of Organization United for Respect at Walmart (OUR Walmart) and to ask Walmart board chair Rob Walton and CEO Mike Duke to do the same. Having been there before in December, when Respect DC members returned, as promised, security immediately recognized the group saying, “No, we’re not doing this again.” He insisted they could not talk to Mr. Sorenson but took their letter and said he would deliver it. So far, they still have yet to receive a response.

Actions targeting Walmart board members took place in San Francisco and New York as

Continue reading Shareholder Spring Launches

Victory at Hersheys!

jwjnational — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:46:05 +0000

On the even of August 5, 2011, during the pinnacle banquet of the National Jobs with Justice conference, student guestworkers who had traveled from all over the world only to work in a plant in Hershey, Pennsylvania made a pitch for solidarity. Like the Verizon workers who were about to go on strike the very next day, these workers too were planning to take courageous action.

They certainly had high expectations. And why shouldn’t they have? Just before they got on stage, workers with the National Guestworkers Alliance from a previous campaign against Signal had just been there claiming victory against the company and a reunion with their families. So, the 30 that had come stood up and told a story about how they each paid $3,000-$6,000 to come to the U.S. this summer for what they thought would be a cultural exchange program through the State Department’s J-1 visa. Instead, they found themselves packing chocolates at the Hershey’s plant in deeply exploitative conditions. After automatic weekly deductions for rent in company housing and other expenses, they net between $40 and

Continue reading Victory at Hersheys!

TAKE ACTION: Don’t repeal CLASS Act!

jwjnational — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:54:53 +0000

The House of Representatives is considering a vote on HR 1173, a bill that would repeal the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act. The CLASS Act was designed to be a voluntary insurance program to help Americans pay for long term care, and it was passed in 2009 as part of the Affordable Care Act.

Congress needs to hear from all of us today because they plan to vote on the bill as soon as tomorrow. If you haven’t already, please CLICK HERE to find the phone number for your Member of the House of Representatives and tell her/him:

The CLASS Act should not be repealed.
Repealing CLASS ignores the needs of millions of Americans with disabilities and seniors who need long term services and supports to maintain their independence and dignity.
Repealing CLASS ignores the needs of the direct care workforce for quality jobs.

Click here to let us know that you have told your representative to oppose repeal of the CLASS Act. If you have called already — thank you — please share this email with friends and

Continue reading TAKE ACTION: Don’t repeal CLASS Act!

A Verigreedy campaign

jwjnational — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:28:56 +0000

The fight begins— Following a string of “right to work” or anti-working class state initiatives that pushed through in Wisconsin and Ohio (which would be later overturned in Ohio), the Verizon Wireless contract negotiations began. Both CWA leadership and community supporters alike knew this fight wouldn’t be an easy one. The surprise element in this campaign has been Verizon’s obvious attempt to cripple the union by rolling back on 20 years worth of benefits won by the CWA and send a message to both employees and other corporations: profits are more valuable than people.

As this was the tone set by the Verizon corporation going into negotiations, and we soon realized that the game was changed completely for the workers bargaining. At that same time, what felt like it sprouted from out of thin air, Occupy Wall Street began, igniting simultaneous occupations all over the country from Oakland to DC. With that a new base of people that had just as much to lose from this particular contract negotiation, as it embodied – and still does – the fight of the 1% vs. the 99%.

During the 2 week strike in
Continue reading A Verigreedy campaign

Joint Effort Launched to Confront Corporate Power

jwjnational — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:29:35 +0000

Act now to confront corporate power!

This week, in over one hundred cities and towns, thousands will launch a series of actions building towards the Shareholder Spring, delivering letters to the executives of the corporations in this country most responsible for undermining our democracy, crashing our economy, poisoning our environment and widening the gap between rich and poor.

By coming together around a joint strategy to confront corporate power, this effort could shape the 2012 electoral debates. The negative roles unregulated corporate power has on our economy and our elections would be front and center of the national conversation. In races nationwide candidates would have to decide which side they are on: Corporations, the structures of the 1%, or the rest of us.

Committing to such a broad-based effort to further expand the space opened by Occupy will create new possibilities for each of our campaigns. In isolation our campaigns on jobs and worker rights, revenue, banking, health care, immigrant justice, and the environment are not big enough. But together, we have the potential
Continue reading Joint Effort Launched to Confront Corporate Power

And the winner is…

jwjnational — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:35:19 +0000

This years Scrooge of the Year is Rob Walton!

The vote was close and went up until the last minute, but across the nation people made their voices heard – and Rob Walton is the biggest Scrooge of them all! A quick reminder of why Rob Walton was given this nomination:

Deemed a “billionaire bully” by Brave New Films, Rob Walton is the Chair of Walmart’s board of directors. His estimated net worth is around $21 billion. As a family, the Waltons control 49% of Walmart stock, and are predicted to gain a controlling share in the next 12 months. The Waltons are the richest family in the United States, with a combined net worth is $93 billion. The Walton Family has as much wealth as the bottom 30% of American families combined – more than 35 million families. Waltons make up 4 of the 11 wealthiest people in the United States according to Forbes Magazine, and they could give more than $4,700 to every resident of New York and still have $1 billion left over. With the economy as it is, that would make a huge difference!

The family’s
Continue reading And the winner is…

Victory in Arizona! Now What?

jwjnational — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 21:30:47 +0000

Today the Department of Homeland Security announced that it is terminating Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s 287(g) agreement and “restricting” his access to the “Secure Communities” program.

This happened hours after the Department of Justice concluded its three year investigation into civil rights abuses caused by the Sheriff. The report from the DOJ does more than just describe Sheriff Arpaio’s reign of terror. It shows that DHS and ICE programs led to this crisis. Now, the White House needs to apply the lessons learned in Maricopa County and end all programs that entangle local police in the business of immigration enforcement.

Today marks a pivotal moment.

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION TO END S-COMM & 287(g) HERE.

We join with many others in calling for Sheriff Arpaio to resign and be indicted, but the fight we’ve waged together in Arizona has always been bigger than the Sheriff himself. Sheriff Arpaio is the symbol of the disastrous Secure Communities and 287(g) programs.

It’s time to end those as well.

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION TO END
Continue reading Victory in Arizona! Now What?

Vote for the 2011 Scrooge of the Year!

jwjnational — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:54:39 +0000

It’s that time of the year again! What do Rob Walton, Publix, ALEC and Eddie Hull all have in common?

They have been nominated for Scrooge of the Year! Read their full bios below and then click this link to cast your vote for who you think is the Scrooge of the Year and be sure to pass this along to your friends!

Rob Walton, Chair of Walmart’s Board of Directors

Deemed a “billionaire bully” by Brave New Films, Rob Walton is the Chair of Walmart’s board of directors. His estimated net worth is around $21 billion. As a family, the Waltons control 49% of Walmart stock, and are predicted to gain a controlling share in the next 12 months. The Waltons are the richest family in the United States, with a combined net worth is $93 billion. The Walton Family has as much wealth as the bottom 30% of American families combined – more than 35 million families. Waltons make up 4 of the 11 wealthiest people in the United States
Continue reading Vote for the 2011 Scrooge of the Year!

Act Now to Save Unemployment!

jwjnational — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:00:30 +0000
Tell Your Members of Congress: Renew Unemployment Insurance for 2012
Millions of hardworking Americans—nearly 2 million in January alone, and over 6 million in 2012—will be cut off from the emergency lifeline of federal unemployment insurance, unless Congress acts to renew the program before it expires December 31st.

Our country is facing the worst economic crisis of a generation. Big corporations shipped jobs overseas and Wall Street speculators took more and more of our wealth, getting rich quickly at the expense of workers and families. The only way to turn this crisis around is to create good jobs–one where workers have collective bargaining rights, employment security, and wages and benefits that allow their families to enjoy a decent standard of living and earn a fair share of the wealth produced by their labor.

If Wall Street and the country’s private sector cannot create good jobs, and if Congress cannot fund good jobs in the public sector, then the least they can do is to extend unemployment benefits until the economy recovers. In the past three years,
Continue reading Act Now to Save Unemployment!

OUR Walmart, JwJ Pay a Visit to Walmart’s Board of Directors

jwjnational — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:27:43 +0000

On December 6th, Jobs with Justice leaders joined small delegations of OUR Walmart and UFCW members and community allies to visit the local offices of members of Walmart’s Board of Directors. In DC, San Francisco, New York, Miami, Seattle and Chicago, workers and community leaders asked board members to meet with OUR Walmart, dropping off a letter and a DVD outlining the concerns of many of Walmart’s 1.4 million workers.

While Walmart associates are the lifeblood of the company, they aren’t always treated with the respect they have earned. Associates work tirelessly to serve Walmart customers and have earned the right to respect, the chance to work full-time in stores with enough staff to take care of customers, a predictable work schedule, a pay rate that allows us to take care of ourselves and our families, and affordable healthcare.

Jobs with Justice and other allies had previously joined OUR Walmart in Bentonville, AR at the company’s international headquarters to deliver the Declaration for Respect to CEO, Mike Duke and ask for
Continue reading OUR Walmart, JwJ Pay a Visit to Walmart’s Board of Directors