Walmart is the largest private employer in this country and nearly 60% of its hourly employees are women. It sets the standards for the retail industry, its suppliers, and for employers in general. How Walmart treats women ultimately has ramifications for all women, not just those who work in its stores.
And unfortunately, according to many of its Associates, Walmart is not truly a place of opportunity for women. The company avoided accountability recently when the Supreme Court dismissed the class action status of Dukes v. Walmart, the largest sex discrimination case in history. And although (with much public relations fan-fare) Walmart just announced a “women friendly initiative,” the effort doesn’t address a core problem at Walmart: the way women who work there are treated.
Today, many national groups that advocate for women, including the National Organization for Women, National Women’s Law Center, and Family Values at Work, announced that they are joining Making Change at Walmart to stand with Walmart Associates working for respect from their company through the
CWA & IBEW’s two-week strike in August showed Verizon and Verizon Wireless that it could not keep stonewalling at the bargaining table. Several concessionary demands have been removed from the table, including their demand to slash MLK Birthday and Veterans Day as holidays and to eliminate the special city allowance.
Now workers are bargaining from CWA’s proposals to save money on health care without premium sharing and preventing unilateral management changes in health care at Verizon Wireless. And union members are forcing management to focus on our demand to bring thousands of outsourced and off-shored jobs back into the bargaining unit.
There has been progress, but Verizon is still insisting on hundreds of millions in concessions.
It’s time to step up the pressure.
We’re ramping things up with Days of Action next week:
Sept 28th: A national media conference call announcing the escalation of our campaign and our plan to open a new front by focusing on the iPhone 5 release.
Sept. 29th: A day of workplace picketing and rallies to show that we are still angry, still strong, and ready to do whatever it takes.
Sept. 30th – October 1st: Working with allies inside and outside the labor movement,
Workers and activists got on the bus June 30th to support workers’ rights all over the Portland area. In a meticulously planned and executed all day bus tour, supporters went to seven actions to support workers’ rights. June 30th was important because thousands of workers had collective bargaining agreements expiring that day.
150 union members and community supporters boarded three buses at 9:30 am. We joined other workers at each of the seven stops along the way. Every action had its own unique flavor and creative twist. In between stops, participants were briefed on the next struggle and got a chance to practice chants and songs.
The buses’ first stop was a Georgia Pacific facility, represented by the Inland Boatman’s Union/ILWU where contract talks have been stalled. The owners are the infamous Koch brothers, so a piece of the action was singing “I’d Like to Buy the Kochs a World”, as well as a delegation to the employer.
Stop 2 was the Vancouver, Washington Hilton hotel, across the river, where workers are trying to raise
Now more than ever we need to stand together for the right to a decent standard of living, a strong voice at work, and to fight for secure family-wage jobs in the face of corporate backed attacks on working people in Wisconsin and beyond!
For nearly 25 years, Jobs with Justice has mobilized tens of thousands to take direct militant actions for workers and communities across the country. We have done this through a simple JwJ Pledge that “during the next year, I’LL BE THERE at least five times for someone else’s fight, as well as my own. If enough of us are there, we’ll all start winning.”
CEO and corporations have millions of dollars to put out lies, elect anti-worker puppets, and try to buy our democracy! We will need millions of people to fight back and defend the fundamental human rights of all workers to organize and bargain collectively, and to preserve the right to form unions without intimidation.
As a catastrophe unfolds in Arizona, people across the country are preparing to defend their communities against the racist immigrant policies being implemented under the banner of “secured communities” in America.
Arizona has been in the forefront of the most deplorable immigrant enforcement tactics, with Sheriff Joe Arpio‘s shameful treatment of undocumented workers, the signing of the SB1070 bill by Governor Jan Brewer that will lead to racial profiling and distrust between the police and immigrant communities, and today the passage of a ban on ethnic studies programs.
These despicable actions in Arizona have led to organizing and involvement of all sectors of the community to show their disgust against these policies and remind elected officials, especially Arizona’s governor, that their actions will lead to massive mobilization at the polls. As one good friend said “Justice delayed, election denied”
Many people across the country are fighting to keep their communities safe from these xenophobic policies and are creating safe communities for all residents, and local Jobs with Justice Coalitions have been supporting these efforts.
It’s hard to believe! Two years after the big banks crashed our economy and took trillions in bailouts (much more than just the TARP), they’re giving themselves record bonuses and going back to business as usual: telling Congress what to do.
Even after Goldman-Sachs was finally charged with fraud by the SEC, none of the rules for the banks has changed – and many of the “too big to fail” bailout bandits used our money to become bigger than ever.
People across the country are taking action to demand bank reform this week. Jobs with Justice activists joined allies in at the Wells Fargo shareholder meeting yesterday in San Francisco, at Bank of America in Kansas City, and today at Goldman Sachs in Chicago. Tomorrow in New York City, JwJ activists will join the AFL-CIO, NPA, and others to mobilize thousands in a march on Wall Street.
The financial reform bill currently being debated in the senate does do some positive things, but it doesn’t go far enough. The bill proposes a weak consumer protection bureau under the control of the Federal Reserve (which is under the control
This victory has come with hard work from students nationwide who have marched, rallied and lobbied in support of this legislation. Last Tuesday as part of the U.S. Student Association’s Legislative Conference, hundreds of students swarmed Capitol Hill demanding the passage of this legislation and reminding their Senators that they should prioritize students and workers over banks. This effort by USSA has proven to be successful as we see the biggest reform in the student loan industry in the past years.
This march and victory is a great opening for the National Student Labor Week of Action. This week happening from March 28th and April 4th brings together students and workers in actions across the country demanding a prioritization in education and worker’s rights.
From March 28 to April 4, students and workers across the country are uniting on campuses and communities across the country to fight for ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION & GOOD, SUSTAINABLE JOBS.
Red Cross is the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States, controlling more than 40 percent of the U.S. blood supply.
Campus blood drives are big business for Red Cross. In 2009, it had $2.2 billion in revenues from its blood operations.
While giving blood addresses a critical medical need, Red Cross has a horrendous track record of protecting the safety of the U.S. blood supply. Since 2003, Red Cross has been fined $21 million for repeated safety failures. Decisions on additional fines are currently under consideration at the FDA.
From Florida to California, March 4th marked an exceptional moment for the student and worker movement in recent U.S. history. People took to the streets to demonstrate their frustration with the government’s failure to pass legislation that would benefit young people such as Student Aid Reform and the DREAM Act. The mainstream media seemed taken by surprise of all these coordinated actions across the country – How could students and workers come together on one specific day? Was this an organized effort? Were people demanding change from the government and legislators?
I got the opportunity to march along with students, staff, and faculty at U-Mass Amherst. Being there reminded me about the power of organizing and strategic escalation. Students at this school provided a deadline for their administrators to accept their demands around fees, budget cuts, treating staff & faculty fairly, and improving the school’s climate. We will be watching their administrations’ response and actions to come. Check out video from the great actions at the University of Central Florida and the University of California system. You can also go to Continue reading Students and Workers Organizing for Justice
Walmart is the largest private employer in this country and nearly 60% of its hourly employees are women. It sets the standards for the retail industry, its suppliers, and for employers in general. How Walmart treats women ultimately has ramifications for all women, not just those who work in its stores. 
While giving blood addresses a critical medical need, Red Cross has a horrendous track record of protecting the safety of the U.S. blood supply. Since 2003, Red Cross has been fined $21 million for repeated safety failures. Decisions on additional fines are currently under consideration at the FDA.
