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By Sarita Gupta, on September 1st, 2011
 From August 5-7, 2011, Jobs with Justice held our National Conference in Washington, DC. The Conference, which was attended by nearly 700 activists from across the country, was intended to re-energize and recommit workers’ rights activists and advocates to working together in solidarity to address the rights of workers everywhere and to collectively engage in strategy discussions around the economy, corporate accountability, and strengthening grassroots organizing base around a variety of issues.
Most importantly the event allowed Jobs with Justice, our network, partners, and supporters to reflect on two critical questions: how do we protect and expand the right to organize and collectively bargain in this critical moment in our labor movement; and what is the role of Jobs with Justice in mobilizing the network, its allies, partners, and everyday workers around workers justice issues during this period.
In the period since our last national conference in 2008, we have regrettably lost a series of legislative strategies—including most potently the struggle for the Employee Free Choice Act. In the period since that defeat we have had
Continue reading JwJ Conference: Building a Transformative Vision to Expand Workers’ Rights
By Sarita Gupta, on August 1st, 2011
In the lead up to the national conference, Jobs with Justice leaders, allies and supporters reflect on two of the core questions to be addressed next week: how do we protect and expand the right to organize and collectively bargain in this period, and what is the role of Jobs with Justice? The following article does not represent an official statement of the Jobs with Justice network, but is rather an opinion of the author meant to spark discussion. Jobs with Justice urges everyone in and around the network to put some thinking into these questions as a part of preparing to participate in the conference. CLICK HERE to register now!
 At the upcoming national conference, our network will come together in the midst of a dynamic political and economic landscape to both reflect while attempting to outline a way forward to expand the rights of workers, our families and our communities. Within that, we will explore the unique role of Jobs with Justice in that on-going struggle in order to maximize our contribution in what is quickly developing as a critical moment in our movement.
The country
Continue reading An Opportunity to Reflect and Outline a Way Forward
By Sarita Gupta, on December 30th, 2010
Earlier this month, Congress passed a deal to re-extend unemployment insurance for the long-term unemployed for more than a year. Finally, a small break for working families! With money from unemployment insurance, millions of non-working Americans will be able to heat their homes, pay their bills, and buy food. It’s not much, but it’s everything.
Throughout 2010, JwJ has been educating communities on how unemployment insurance is a vital stop-gap measure during the worst jobs deficit in recent history. It’s been an ongoing fight. Through organizing hundreds of public actions, delegations to elected officials, community forums, and online action alerts, we helped working communities save their lifeline multiple times.
At least for now. Please make a tax-deductible donation today to help us keep fighting for the unemployed.
The extension of unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed didn’t come without a big favor for big business. What was exchanged in return for this small token for working families? Billions of dollars in tax breaks for the country’s wealthiest–money that could be used to create jobs or cover unemployment insurance for the jobless. Instead, it will sit in someone’s growing bank account, while workers continue to struggle.
A sustainable economy can’t
Continue reading What the new Congress means for working families
By Sarita Gupta, on December 27th, 2010
Over the last year, we’ve seen corporations exert their influence to hold up legislation at the federal level. Health care reform, job creation, the DREAM Act and so much more has been stalled, weakened, and even defeated by corporate interests and their lobbying.
Now corporations are turning their attention to state legislatures to expand their attacks on working families. Can you help us defeat corporate-sponsored laws aimed at rolling back workers’ rights? Please make a tax-deductible donation today.
Starting in January 2011, we are expecting an array of serious attacks on workers’ rights to hit state legislatures, including Right to Work for Less laws, paycheck deception, anti-prevailing wage bills, and continued attacks on the public sector. Corporations want to use the failing economy as an excuse to reverse every worker protection put in place over the last century.
We won’t let that happen. Jobs with Justice is well-positioned to partner with labor, faith, students and community groups in these defensive battles, bringing the voices of workers, and prominent community leaders to the forefront of these battles. We have a proven track record of defeating corporate attacks on workers. Missouri Jobs with Justice recently organized to defeat corporate efforts to
Continue reading Did you hear what they are doing now?
By Sarita Gupta, on December 21st, 2010
Yesterday we announced that Senator Mitch “puppet of the rich” McConnell was elected our 2010 Scrooge of the Year. McConnell led a small minority in the Senate to block many laws that would have helped working families this year: health care reform, job creation, the DREAM Act, health care for 9/11 responders, and so much more. McConnell could have shown great leadership to support people in need at a time when so many are struggling, but this Scrooge doesn’t care about governing or making this country a better place to live. McConnell’s goal is to do whatever is necessary to hoard power for himself, his party, and his wealthy, powerful friends. But Jobs with Justice is building power every day to fight the corporate agenda.
Please m ake a donation to the Jobs with Justice Education Fund today to help us keep fighting corporate agenda in 2011.
You can give on our secure online donation website or give securely through Causes on Facebook.
In 2010, while McConnell was threatening to filibuster legislation that would benefit working families, Jobs with Justice was educating members about
Continue reading Help us fight Scrooge’s corporate agenda
By Sarita Gupta, on September 24th, 2010
Yesterday NBC launched a new show called Outsourced which makes comedy out of the all-too-real conditions of outsourcing. While the first episode was interesting, making light of age-old cultural clashes and stereotypes, there is nothing funny about the reality of outsourcing and the impact it has both on the American worker and their counterparts around the world.
For decades, big companies like the one portrayed in Outsourced have been engaged in a global race to the bottom, constantly seeking to maximize their profits by cutting wages, benefits and working conditions. Corporations have learned to avoid local worker bargaining power by organizing themselves globally and exerting a downward pressure on wages along the supply chain that brings goods from manufacturing to consumers.
Meanwhile, there are currently 15 million unemployed people in the United States. And the situation is not much better overseas where many workers scrape by on substandard conditions and wages that have been outlawed for centuries in the US.
Going back to the first episode, the angry American workers who have just been laid off are portrayed only by a stack of bricks thrown through the boss’ window. This is then juxtaposed against the hapless, comedic, and
Continue reading Outsourced: Sit-Com or Reality TV?
By Sarita Gupta, on September 23rd, 2009
Cross-posted from Common Dreams.org.
One year ago Jobs with Justice, a coalition of labor and community organizations, took to the streets to oppose the Bush Administration’s bailout of Wall Street’s banks and other financial institutions. We warned against transferring public money to private banks through Bush’s Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) without some level of public ownership and control. But the TARP passed as is, entrusting the banks to put money back into the economy and help put the brakes on the recession.
Instead, these corporate criminals stole our money.
The banks said they needed taxpayer money to continue lending and to keep the economy running, yet they refuse to extend credit to viable companies like Hartmarx and Republic Windows and Doors. They are forcing small businesses to close and costing thousands of workers their jobs. Today, unemployment stands at 9.7%.
Mortgage lenders have failed to work with homeowners to curtail foreclosures, even those who qualify for refinancing. Today, nearly 1 in 25 homes is in foreclosure.
So what have the banks spent our taxpayer dollars on? Over the last year, we’ve watched one corporate scandal after another unfold. The bailed-out financial industry has paid outrageous
Continue reading One Year After the Bank Bailout, We Still Need a People’s Economic Recovery
By Sarita Gupta, on August 3rd, 2009
At Jobs with Justice, our goal is to build a strong, progressive labor movement that works in coalition with community, faith, and student organizations to build a broader global movement for economic and social justice.
With our new blog, we expect to advance that goal by providing a space for Jobs with Justice staff, leaders, and allies who are building the movement for workers’ rights and economic justice to write about and discuss the campaigns and issues we are working on locally, nationally, and globally. We hope this blog creates space to explore new ideas and strategies for JwJ.
What kinds of articles can you expect to see on the JwJ Blog?
- Stories about campaigns that build power for working people, including stories about local union organizing campaigns, efforts to win labor law reform, economic recovery, health care, immigrant rights, global justice, and more.
- Articles about how we are building a grassroots network of sustainable, strategic, and powerful coalitions.
- Descriptions of the leaders and activists who are leading our fights, including students, young workers, and Workers’ Rights Board members.
- Writing about the new strategic alliances we are developing in order to build power for working people.
We hope
Continue reading Welcome to the JwJ Blog!
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