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By jwjnational, on March 25th, 2011
 On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, where he had gone to stand with sanitation workers demanding their dream: the right to bargain collectively for a voice at work and a better life. The workers were trying to form a union with AFSCME.
On April 4, 2011, join union members, community activists, people of faith, students, youth, LGBTQ, civil rights, and immigrant rights allies to stand in solidarity with working people in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, and dozens of other states where well-funded, right-wing corporate politicians are trying to take away the rights Dr. King gave his life for: the freedom to bargain, to vote, to afford a college education and justice for all workers, immigrant and native-born. It’s a day to show movement with actions, teach-ins, worksite discussions, vigils, faith events – a day to be creative, but clear: We are one.
Visit www.we-r-1.org to find a local event, or add your own event to the growing list of activities. Some ideas for action:
Worksite actions. Recruit co-workers to carry out a worksite activity – wearing red shirts, ribbons,
Continue reading April 4 Call to Action: We are One
By jwjnational, on November 6th, 2009
STLtoday.com has a great piece on Missouri JwJ director Lara Granich. She’s a community organizer – and proud of it! The article looks at: * An economy “that has stripped away 130,000 jobs locally and 15 million nationwide” * The role of JwJ in Missouri in building a local movement to support worker’s rights * The opportunities amidst the crisis for working people as “they are a lot clearer that if they don’t stand up for themselves, no one else will.”
Continue reading Proud to Organize!
By Allison Fletcher Acosta, on August 25th, 2009
Workers and community leaders in Dallas, TX and Pontiac, MI came together on August 18th to voice their concerns about the proposed merger between Pulte Homes and Centex Corporation. The merger would make it the largest home building company in the U.S.
The protests were organized as part of the “Building Justice” partnership between the Painters and Allied Trades union (IUPAT), the Sheet Metal Workers (SMWIA), the AFL-CIO, Pulte homeowners, community members, and elected officials to improve conditions at Pulte developments. Unions and community members are concerned about Pulte’s use of so-called “non-traditional” loans and about reports of sub-par working conditions.
North Texas Jobs with Justice was proud to join the Sheet Metal Workers, Painters, Laborers, and Ironworkers for a protest outside the Centex Construction Company’s stockholder meeting in Dallas.
By Attica and Advocate Scott, on August 14th, 2009
“Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing.” – Optimus Prime
Below are some lessons we learned from “Transformers” about community organizing.
1) Family can never be sacrificed in this work.
The days of working every night and weekend are over. Our children cannot suffer because we’ve convinced ourselves that the work won’t get done unless we do it. And our health cannot be compromised because we are running from meeting to meeting – meetings that are often pointless.
2) There are no “Primes” in the movement.
Yes, we are the ones we’ve been waiting for – not President Obama or some other social justice savior. Movements are built on the backs of people, not one person; otherwise, your movement is destined to fail.
3) Leadership can be misguided.
“The Fallen” got caught up in a quest for power, domination and control. We have much to learn from “The Fallen,” particularly around not getting caught up in the quest for funding and mainstream media publicity.
4) Movements cannot rely on technology.
No matter how many friends you have on facebook or followers on twitter, this work is about building relationships of trust – relationships that are built
Continue reading Transformers: 10 Lessons in Community Organizing
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