After launching the Excluded Workers Congress at the US Social Forum in Detroit earlier this summer (see video footage below), representatives from 9 different sectors gathered in Washington, DC last week to lay plans to dramatically expand workers’ rights to organize. Workers in these sectors are fighting exclusions from the National Labor Relations Act, minimum wage laws and the labor market in general among other barriers to the right to organize.
Led by the National Domestic Workers Alliance, the National Day Laborers’ Organizing Network, Jobs with Justice and the Alliance of Guestworkers for Dignity, the Congress discussed upcoming efforts ranging from the creation of an inter-agency taskforce at the Department of Labor to address the issues of excluded workers to the passage of the POWER Act which would protect guest workers from employer retaliation if they file a labor complaint.
“Workers in Florida do not have the right to organize. We are a right-to-work-for-less state,” said Denise Diaz of Central Florida Jobs with Justice. “It’s important to be here to identify strategies that will help us roll back the backwards policies that prevent southern workers from having the right to organize a union.”
This morning, New York Governor Patterson signed into law the first-ever U.S. law that upholds domestic workers’ rights. 200,000 nannies, housekeepers, and elder caregivers in New York will be covered under a law that provides guaranteed sick days, overtime pay, a day of rest, protection from discrimination, and notice before termination. This groundbreaking victory is a result of a six-year campaign led by Domestic Workers United and supported by a broad coalition of labor and community organizations, including JwJ coalitions in NY State.
“Today we correct an historic injustice by granting those who care for the elderly, raise our children and clean our homes the same essential rights to which all workers should be entitled,” Governor Paterson said. “I am grateful to the sponsors for their extraordinary efforts to enact this landmark bill, and most of all to those domestic workers who dreamed, planned, organized and then fought for many years, until they were able to see an injustice undone.”
Are you unemployed? Are you receiving unemployment compensation? Are you about to lose your unemployment benefits? Do you care about people who are unemployed?
If your answer to any of these questions is yes, then you most certainly will want to join Kentucky Jobs with Justice on Sept. 15, along with allies from organized labor, community groups, faith leaders, student activists and progressive elected officials, as we hold a day of direct action on full and fair employment.
This day of direct action stems from energy generated at the July 7 march and rally in downtown Louisville at Sen. Mitch McConnell’s office and the U.S. Social Forum, which drew over 25,000 national activists to Detroit (including more than 125 from Kentucky) for issue awareness and massive networking to solve social ills on the principle of: “Another world is possible, another U.S. is necessary.”
A month before the Sept. 15 day of direct action, we will begin building relationships with individuals who are directly impacted by the jobs crisis by visiting the unemployment office located at Sixth and Cedar and listening to the stories that people
The main purpose of social media is to make it easier for people to stay connected with family and friends around the world. Websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube have created a space where people can share pictures, videos, and generally keep in touch. In recent years, organizations have been finding new ways to utilize these social mediums to spread their message and reach more people.
At the US Social Forum, the workshop “Social Networking for Social Justice”, facilitated by Attica Scott of Kentucky JwJ and Shameka Parrish-Wright of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, illustrated some of the ways that social media can aid in the fight for social justice.
For social justice organizations, one of the main advantages of using social networking to spread a message or further a movement is that it’s FREE. Social media is like free advertising – you can say all that you need to say and reach so many people without having to pay a dime. Another advantage to using social media is that you can present your message in a fun interactive way, and in ways that will attract new comers and keep the interest of already loyal followers.
Yesterday was an exciting day of education and action at the U.S. Social Forum!
JwJ coalitions convened and spoke at a variety of workshops, including: Uncovering the Truth on Police & ICE Collaborations (DC JwJ), Social Networking for Social Justice (KY JwJ), Writers’ Circle (Missouri JwJ), The Impact of Financial Restructuring on Michigan Workers and the Union Response (SE Michigan JwJ), Good Jobs for All: Winning Full and Fair Employment for a New Economy (National JwJ), and The TRADE Act as a Tool for Global Justice (Southern Oregon JwJ).
Jobs with Justice members participated in the Excluded Workers Congress People’s Movement Assembly which focused on how we can expand workers’ rights to organize. We heard inspiring testimony from a variety of workers who are fighting for their rights on the job (stay tuned for more on this, including video).
In the evening, JwJ co-sponsored a march and rally with AFSCME Council 65 and the Metro Detroit AFL-CIO to demand, “Money for JOBS, not Banks!”
