conference

The Disobedience School: Class of 2012 hosted this past Saturday on the 28th was a big success.

The event took place at UNITE HERE Local 26 on Harrison Ave. near the Chinatown T stop and it brought together about 40 people from different organizations including Jobs with Justice, MassUniting, and several others. The event proved to be a very informative and helpful gathering of passionate individuals who share similar goals but who possess different strengths that would be essential in attaining those goals and making dreams a reality. The program was divided into 11 different segments running from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm. It started off with the Welcome segment followed by two fellow social justice workers sharing their stories on why they have gotten involved with the social justice movement regarding worker’s rights and immigrant rights. Then Russ Davis, the director of Jobs with Justice, gave a quick speech to reinforce our goals in the fight to end corporate greed. Afterwards, everybody was separated into different workshops such as Campaign Creation, Civil Disobedience, Direct Action Planning, Media & Messaging, 1-on-1 Organizing, and Organizing Models.

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 $140 per week for 40 hours of work.

The Jobs with Justice National Conference is just a few weeks away!  We have some exciting program pieces coming together. Check it out:

Last chance for early bird registration! Register by FRIDAY, JUNE 24th TO SAVE

The Jobs with Justice National Conference will be held in Washington, DC August 5-7, with a Student-Labor Pre-Conference on August 4th.

The conference draws a diverse cross-section of labor and community activists who are working on some of the most innovative campaigns in the labor movement. Some of the campaigns you can expect to learn more about include:

Were you inspired by the pro-democracy movements in the Middle East this winter? Were you moved by the outpouring of support for workers’ rights in the Midwest? Are you wondering what’s next in building a people’s movement to take back our democracy?

Join us August 5-7 at the Jobs with Justice National Conference!Click here to register by June 24th and save on the registration cost.

Come to the Jobs with Justice National Conference to learn from and strategize with labor leaders, rank & file workers, students, religious leaders, community activists, workers excluded from labor law protection, and many, many more about how to build a powerful movement of working people to defeat the corporate agenda.

JOBS WITH JUSTICE NATIONAL CONFERENCE
AUGUST 5-7, 2011 IN WASHINGTON, DC

Corporations want to use the failing economy as an excuse to reverse every worker protection put in place over the last century, but we are standing together and fighting back!

Come to the Jobs with Justice conference to learn from and strategize with labor leaders, rank & file workers, students, religious leaders, community activists, workers excluded from labor law protection, and many, many more about how to build a powerful movement of working people to defeat the corporate agenda! Join us as we explore: