JwJ News November 2007
OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2007
- Jobs with Justice Demands an End to Social Security "No-Match" Letters
- Jobs with Justice Supports the Writers' Guild of America Strike
- South Florida JwJ Mobile Home Council Wins a Victory for Affordable Housing
- Tompkins County (NY) Workers' Center/JwJ Takes Aim at Local Hotel Industry's Abusive Practices
- Jobs with Justice Celebrates Human Rights Day December 10
- Buffalo "High Road Runs Through the City" Conference
- KY JwJ Supports Victory Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination
- Philadelphia Officers and Workers Rising (POWR) Rally Shuts Down Temple Board of Trustees Meeting
- Western Pennsylvania Jobs with Justice Takes Action on Lead in Toys
- Cleveland JwJ Stands Up for Living Wages in Cuyahoga County
Jobs with Justice Demands an End to Social Security "No-Match" Letters
The Social Security "no match" letters are notices that the Social Security Administration (SSA) sends once per year to employers who report a certain number of discrepancies between their employment records and SSA's database. According to the government's own records, 70 percent of the discrepancies belong to U.S. citizens.
The Bush Administration adopted a rule in September which would require that the SSA include a notice from the Department of Homeland Security along with the "No Match" letters instructing employers on the steps they need to take in response to the letter, including firing workers. Groups including the AFL-CIO and the ACLU have filed a lawsuit to stop the SSA from sending these letters. In October, the courts imposed a temporary injunction against the letters and as of December, the Department of Homeland Security has temporarily withdrawn the original rule change that would have required the SSA to send the letters and will propose a new rule early next year.
In October, Jobs with Justice coalitions in Denver, Boston, Dallas, Providence, Chicago, and Portland gathered at local Social Security Administration offices to celebrate the temporary injunction against the no-match letters and to demand a permanent rescinding of the DHS order to send the letters to employers. JwJ coalitions gathered signatures from community leaders and presented the SSA offices with letters demanding an end to the No-Match Letters.
On Wednesday, December 5th in Washington, DC, Jobs with Justice and the Low-Wage Immigrant Worker Coalition convened a National Workers' Rights Board (WRB) Hearing about Social Security No-Match Letters. National WRB members hearing testimony at the hearing included US Representative Xavier Becerra (CA), RI State Representative David Segal, Reverend Nelson Johnson, Marcel Reid of ACORN, Thomas Shellabarger of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Aurora Vasquez of the Advancement Project.
WRB members heard testimony from impacted workers, from policy experts, and from members of impacted communities about the effects of these letters. They heard how "No match" letters have been used by employers to defeat worker organizing. Employers have tried to use the letters as a pretext to fire or intimidate workers when they try to organize a union, file a wage claim, or otherwise exercise their workers' rights. Fernando Tinoco, a U.S. Citizen for 18 years, was fired from his job at a Tyson Foods plant due to an error at the Social Security Administration. Witold Skwiercznski of the American Federation of Government Employees testified about the negative impact that these letters are having on the workers who administer the Social Security program.
At the conclusion of the hearing, the National WRB pledged to create a report on the detrimental impact on workers of using the No-Match letters as a supposed means of immigration enforcement and to reach out to the SSA , to members of Congress, and to the media with their findings. The WRB also pledged to support the work of the Low-Wage Immigrant Worker Coalition and to work with them to continue to expose the harms of the No-Match letters.
Jobs with Justice Supports the Writers' Guild of America Strike
JwJ coalitions in Boston and Chicago rallied with WGA members in December to support their strike against the American Motion Picture and Television Producers. The WGA is on strike over their right to get paid for their work when it generates profits on the internet.
South Florida JwJ Mobile Home Council Wins a Victory for Affordable Housing
Mobile home residents claimed a victory back in October when the Miami Dade County Commission overwhelmingly passed a moratorium on the redevelopment of mobile home parks. Through next Spring, Dade County will not issue any building permits or zoning variances for inhabited parks. Vecinos Unidos [Neighbors United] members from across the County spoke to the need for affordable housing for the 59,000-110,000 current residents of mobile home neighborhoods who face imminent displacement.
Resident testimonies were powerful messages of truth: A single mom who invested her life's savings of $15,000 in a home only to face eviction; Elderly homeowners dependent upon disability checks; An Iraqi veteran attending college and trying to make a way for his family; A retired machinist who exlaimed: "I found other alternative housing. When they close my park, I'm going to move to my van. That's the only affordable housing I can find here."
On November 14, JwJ and residents from eight mobile home parks met with officials from Miami-Dade Department of Planning and Zoning for a focus group session. Officials heard directly from residents who stated their demands and made sure they are involved in the process of drafting a report with recomendations for the County Commission. Stay tuned as Mobile Home Council members fight to stay home!
Tompkins County (NY) Workers' Center/JwJ Takes Aim at Local Hotel Industry's Abusive Practices
The Tompkins County (NY) Workers' Center/JwJ (TCWC/JwJ) mobilized more than 100 supporters for a rally to protest abusive worker policies at Ithaca's Hilton Garden Inn Hotel including the unfair and illegal termination of one employee for her efforts to speak up about unfair treatment on November 9 th.
The rally is part of a larger Workers' Center/JwJ Justice for Hotel Workers campaign that is keenly focused on organizing with the workers that are most directly affected by low wages; lack of health care; lack of the ability to organize for ourselves in the workplace; a lack of worker's rights; and a lack of simple free speech.
During the past few months, numerous hotel workers have come to TCWC/JwJ with complaints from various hotels throughout Tompkins County. Michelle Lopez, who has been a leader amongst workers at the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel (and would have clearly been the union steward if there were a union), was recently terminated for expressing the need for a union and for taking 'concerted action' with other employees in the face of management abuses. At the rally, TCWC/JwJ announced an Unfair Labor Practice charge filed with the National Labor Relations Board on behalf of Michelle Lopez.
The hotel industry in Tompkins County is totally without union representation except for the Statler Hotel on the Cornell University campus which is part of the 1,100 member UAW Local that represents those workers.
Jobs with Justice Celebrates Human Rights Day December 10
On December 10, 1948, more than 80% of United Nations member states adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which includes the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and the right to join and form trade unions. Today, those rights are under attack. On December 10, JwJ coalitions across the country took action to demand workers' rights.
In Petersburg, VA, the newly forming Richmond JwJ Organizing Committee participated in a press conference with Public Service Workers Union UE 160 calling attention to the UE's filing with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights requesting an investigation of Virginia, North Carolina, and West Virginia because of their anti-worker laws that prohibit public employees from the right to bargain collectively as part of a union. Earlier this year the United Nations called for the abolishment of North Carolina's bargaining laws since they go against international labor guidelines. The press conference was part of simultaneous actions that also took place in North Carolina and West Virginia.
In Chicago, Nearly 100 community, faith and labor activists packed a community forum on local and global worker rights abuses. Organized by Chicago JwJ and Rogers Park Community Action Network, the forum included worker testimony from St. Francis Hospital, Food 4 Less, Bank of America, and Comcast, as well as community activists speaking about local campaigns for living wage jobs and worker rights on Chicago's North Side. The forum closed with a rally at Dominick's Foods, a major grocery chain, calling for an end to the stocking of products from a plant with a labor dispute. The forum participants all signed a letter, which the store manager agreed to pass on to higher ups.
In Central Indiana, after Gov. Mitch Daniels won yet another "Grinch of the year" award on Dec. 7, JwJ distributed thousands of leaflets to state workers on December 10, both informing workers of what rights they still have, and calling for action to restore the bargaining rights that Gov. Daniels stripped away two years ago.
In Detroit, SE Michigan JwJ mobilized faith, community and labor leaders to rally in support of Detroit Medical Center nurses that are struggling for quality care for all patients, and an end to the hospital using public funds to fight nurses right to organize. Following the rally, an educational forum highlighted how religious leaders can connect with labor, through JWJ coalitions, for economic justice for all.
In Columbus, JwJ activists from across Ohio helped deliver over 200,000 petition signatures to the OH Secretary of State, thereby putting before the state legislature a proposed law that would require all Ohio employers to provide at least seven paid sick days to all full-time workers. Currently, 2.2 million Ohio workers lack any paid sick leave.
Middle Tennessee JwJ celebrated December 10 with a Forum to Celebrate International Human Rights Day. Speakers included Clemmie Greenlee of the National Homeless Power Project, Delegen Ambaw of the Metro Nashville Taxi Drivers Alliance, CWA Representative Thelma Dunlap, and Jerry Maynard, Nashville Metro Council Member At Large.
Buffalo "High Road Runs Through the City" Conference
On September 27th and 28th Buffalo was host to an exciting conference, 'The High Road Runs Through the City." The Coalition for Economic Justice/JwJ co-sponsored the event, along with the Cornell ILR school, the Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy, and the University of Buffalo Law school.
The conference drew a crowd of approximately 200, including JwJ folks from Rochester, Albany, New York City, Nashville, WA State, Central Florida, Kentucky, and Chicago. Allison Duwe from Buffalo CEJ/JwJ, James Thindwa from Chicago JwJ, Adrianne Shropshire and Sadaf Khatri from NYC JwJ all spoke about their local efforts around living wage and economic development campaigns. Other local and national experts discussed and debated such issues as living wage enforcement, new directions in the living wage movement, development subsidies and subsidy reform, green city initiatives, and the role of non-elected authorities.
KY JwJ Supports Victory Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination
Shortly after midnight on Tuesday, November 27th, the Jefferson County Board of Education voted by a 4-3 margin to add sexual orientation, but not gender identity, to its non-discrimination and harassment policies. This was a definite victory over homophobia, and for school equality, as anti-Fairness forces had mobilized in full force against this measure. It was not, however, a victory for full equality, as JCPS employees are still at risk for harassment and discrimination based on gender identity...for now.
Like many organizations, Kentucky Jobs With Justice spoke up with the Fairness Campaign in its time of need! KY JwJ's Coordinator spoke at the November 12th Board meeting and sent a GetActive alert to all of our Louisville members asking them to call their Board Member or to send them an e mail.
Steve Imhoff, Larry Hujo, Debbie Wesslund, and Joe Hardesty all voted to expand protection, and should be applauded for their courage and commitment to justice. Sadly, Ann Elmore, Carol Ann Haddad, and Linda Duncan all failed to understand just how important this issue is and voted against protecting our community's educators and the basic human rights of working people.
The Campaign for School Equality continues! KY JwJ will continue to stand by the Fairness Campaign to win protection for all JCPS workers from discrimination and harassment based on gender identity and to amend the Student Code of Conduct to guarantee the same protections for all students in the JCPS school system.
Philadelphia Officers and Workers Rising (POWR) Rally Shuts Down Temple Board of Trustees Meeting
The Temple University Student Labor Action Project organized a rally and prayer vigil to culminate months of work trying to pressure Temple University into meeting their demands of giving 300 AlliedBarton Security Guards 5 days of paid-sick leave. So far, Temple University has met the demands with several meetings, but no progress toward a new sick leave policy has resulted. After months of meeting with Temple University Executive staff including William Bergman, VP of Operations, Daniel Pollet, Chair Board of Trustees and not getting results SLAP decided to bring this issue straight to the Board of Trustees.
The Jobs with Justice Interfaith Committee helped set the tone for the day by staging a prayer vigil that the Board of Trustees had to walk through on their way to the meeting. Once all of the Board of Trustees were in the meeting, the SLAP delegation that had been scheduled to speak was informed that the Board of Trustees had been removed from the agenda.
Reverend Dwayne Royster, Pastor, Living Water UCC, then addressed the sixty participants at the vigil. Pastor Royster reminded us that Jesus Christ intentionally disrupted every where he went, that God disrupted Mary's life and Joseph's life. Pastor Royster reminded us that when fighting for justice we must not be afraid to disrupt, to be uncomfortable and make others uncomfortable. He called for a season of "Holy Disruption."
The ministers lead the crowd in hymns as they entered Sullivan Hall where the Board of Trustees meeting was taking place. The singing shut down the Board of Trustees meeting and carried on until the police showed up with two paddy wagons and a box full of handcuffs. The POWR campaign went back outside of the building and asked for supporters to join the "prayer mobilizing" team. Eight prayer mobilization teams formed and nearly 1,000 supportive prayers are expected to mobilize this weekend.
Temple University has stated that they will give an answer about the sick days in within the next two weeks.
Click here to see a slide show of the event.
Western Pennsylvania Jobs with Justice Takes Action on Lead in Toys
Early in the morning of "Black Friday", Western Pennsylvania Jobs with Justice took their first action! JwJ distributed more than 1,000 lead testing kits to shoppers at five locations, educating consumers about the importance of recalls and the dangers of goods produced in sweatshops. In addition to the lead testing kits, JwJ passed out a leaflet outlining the dangers of toxic toys and a flyer about Jobs with Justice. W PA JwJ looks forward to more events that will help unite the community and find solutions to the issues the community faces.
Cleveland JwJ Stands Up for Living Wages in Cuyahoga County
Cleveland Jobs with Justice is fighting for two living wage resolutions in Cuyahoga County. On October 4th, about 100 people from labor, faith, and community organizations showed their solidarity for a living wage in Cuyahoga County by attending a rally at the County Administration Building. After the rally, 70 went inside to the County Commissioner's special hearing to listen to testimony in favor of the Living Wage resolutions from Zach Schiller, Policy Matters; Len Calabrese, Cleveland Catholic Charities; Tom Corrigan, Assistant Law Director, Lakewood; Marquita Thomas; Rev. Marvin Mc Mickle, Antioch Baptist Church; Earl Pike, AIDS Task Force of Greater Cleveland; Kenneth Kowalski, Clinical Professor of Law, Marshall School of Law; and Harriet Applegate, Executive Secretary, North Shore AFL-CIO Federation of Labor. All in attendance were united at the end of Harriet's testimony in asking the Commissioners "WHEN?" they would pass the Living Wage.
MEDIA LINKS
Off the Air: The News Behind the News
Valley Advocate - Easthampton,MA,USA
Jobs with Justice last month. Jon Weissman, WMJWJ's chair, had copied Gormally in on the message, which bore the subject line "Union-busting at Channel 40? ...
Residents facing eviction get support from the Catholic Church
By CBCadmin
As a part of this process Palm Trailer Park residents recently participated in a focus group, organized by South Florida Jobs with Justice, so county officials could hear recommendations directly from residents, which will be part of ...
Advocates Urge State Funding for Grady
Atlanta Progressive News - Atlanta,GA,USA
"It's lost on lawmakers that Grady is our stand alone hospital," Chioke Perry, Grady patient and activist with Atlanta Jobs with Justice, said. ...
The Big Bounce
Philadelphia citypaper.net - Philadelphia,PA,USA
JWJ put the guards in touch with a lawyer, who may represent them in a class-action lawsuit, and is investigating whether Oakley is in violation of wage ...
Local Boy Makes Bad
Valley Advocate - Easthampton,MA,USA
Jobs with Justice's 2007 Grinch of the Year. The labor group gives out the award each year to highlight particularly egregious anti-worker behavior in the ...
Sale skeptics say letters to PUC oppose Verizon's lines sale
The Union Leader - Manchester,NH,USA
... oppose the three-state sale of Verizon's wireline business to fairpoint Communications, according to an analysis released by Jobs With Justice. ...
Wage cuts to take effect at Stanley
St. Albans Messenger - St. Albans,VT,USA
According to the Vermont Workers Center, such behavior may be a violation of the National Labor Relations Act. While the bulk of the act deals with ...
Cost of Healthcare in MO Will Go Up
KBIA - Columbia,MO,USA
Amy Smootcha is with the St. Louis chapter of Jobs with Justice: "What we've seen is folks having to spend more and more on health care, even if they have ...
HUD Has Not Approved Palmer, Roosevelt House, nor Other Demolitions
Atlanta Progressive News - Atlanta,GA,USA
When Terence Courtney from Jobs with Justice was a planned special guest at a Special Call Meeting of the Palmer House resident association, AHA's Barney ...
Shut down NLRB for renovations, Ohio unionists demand
People's Weekly World - USA
CLEVELAND - A spirited crowd of Working America, Jobs with Justice and local unions' members picketed the federal building here Nov. ...
Merkley and Novick Interviewed in Street Roots in the news
BlueOregon - OR,USA
... a local non-profit newspaper that deals with homelessness and poverty issues, partnered with organizations such as Oregon Action, Jobs with Justice, ...
Health care costs for insured Missourians will rise, report says
KWMU - St. Louis,MO,USA
Amy Smoucha is an organizer with the St. Louis chapter of Jobs with Justice. "What we've seen is folks having to spend more and more on health care, ...
Meredith Aska McBride | No more excuses
Daily Pennsylvanian - Philadelphia,PA,USA
"[The University] know[s] what's going on, they're not oblivious to it," said Eduardo Soriano-Castillo, a field organizer for Jobs With Justice who has been ...
Walking the Corridor
Detroit Metro Times - Detroit,MI,USA
Jobs With Justice is trying to turn some of that attitude around with the launch of a Toyota Owners for Fairness group in support of workers at the ...
Nurses rally to keep hospice
The Republican - MassLive.com - Springfield,MA,USA
Antonelli and Jon Weissman of Western Mass Jobs With Justice, said the closing was really a move against the association, as a "union-busting" measure. ...
Aiming for Success: Pash
Express from The Washington Post - Washington,DC,USA
He was relaxing after opening for the punk act Strike Anywhere at a benefit show for Jobs With Justice. "Loud is important," McLaughlin continued. ...
Hispanic rights reach students by unlikely advocate
Channels Online (subscription) - Santa Barbara,CA,USA
He joined many activist groups on campus, like Mecha, Student Labor Action Project (SLAP), and some community groups such as Shape of Voice and PUEBLO, ...
Sweatshop campaign reaches finale
The Daily Collegian Online - University Park,PA,USA
By Erin Prah The members of the United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) and Student Labor Action Project presented a jumbo 25-cent check yesterday to Tom ...
Maersk workers in the ports of Tacoma & Olympia wildcat, demand ...
Jobs With Justice organized the strike. Tacoma SDS and other community members who heard about it went to the port to show solidarity. Maersk is the largest shipping company in the world, Adam Hoyt said. Its North American headquarters ...
Publicity of protest can make stock fall
Salt Lake Tribune - United States
Utah activist Joey Caputo, who is involved with organizations such as Utah Jobs with Justice and Utah NOW, said the study's findings were heartening. ...
Trailer Park Land Deals Put on Hold
Builder Magazine - Washington,DC,USA
Sponsored by the nonprofit advocacy group South Florida Jobs with Justice, the conference gave voice to concerns over gentrification and the potential for ...
Spanier impersonator discusses sweatshops
The Daily Collegian Online - University Park,PA,USA
... (USAS) and the Student Labor Action Project (SLAP) have encouraged the university to adopt to ensure the rights of apparel factory workers are upheld. ...
Group, residents fighting the demise of trailer parks for condos ...
MiamiHerald.com - Miami,FL,USA
Some reports provided by Jobs for Justice show that only 90 mobile-home parks remain in Miami-Dade County, with approximately 15000 units and 60000-100000 ...
Livable wage issue on display
BurlingtonFreePress.com - Burlington,VT,USA
These demands come from the Student Labor Action Project, which organized the Wednesday event and handed out printed slips en route headlined: "Why are ...
Protest at Big Y
Valley Advocate - Easthampton,MA,USA
Jobs With Justice is organizing the protest, after repeated failures to secure a meeting with Big Y officials to discuss concerns about one of their ...
Ronnie Polaneczky | For guards, workplace insecurity
Philadelphia Daily News - Philadelphia,PA,USA
Penn's campaign was waged by Philadelphia Jobs With Justice, backed by students, parents, community groups and interfaith ministers. ...
Dissing Orientation
The Temple News Online (subscription) - Philadelphia,PA,USA
... Students for Justice in Palestine and the Student Labor Action Project to offer students and faculty what they called "DISorientation," sessions ...
Union's tactics questioned
Daily Press - Newport News,VA,USA
The coalition is named as a defendant, along with union-aligned non-profit groups Research Associates of America and Jobs With Justice. ...
The Nation: The Key To Union Survival Is Organizing Foreign-Owned ...
CBS News - New York,NY,USA
... and in Georgetown, where Toyota workers have mounted what may be the most viable current organizing campaign, aided by groups like Jobs With Justice. ...
Hit-and-run victim dedicated life to others
The Register-Guard - Eugene,OR,USA
"She was amazing," said Malito, who served with Lahr as co-chairwoman of the Eugene-Springfield Solidarity Network, a coalition of local unions and other ...
Toyota, union fight heating up
Cincinnati Post - OH,USA
Attica Scott, coordinator of Jobs With Justice, said the fact that the ad was published by the anti-union group indicates to her "they're feeling the heat ...
Mass. Labor Notes-October 2007
The Bridge - Somerville,MA,USA
Jobs with Justice has joined with the Coalition to Protect Massachusetts Patients to demand that our hospitals be appropriately staffed. ...
Hiring Temporary Workers Can Cause Long-Term Problems
IndustryWeek - USA
The group, called Kentucky Jobs With Justice, has targeted Toyota Motor Manufacturing's treatment of temporary employees, including the wages it pays them. ...
'Living wage' campaigns gather momentum
NYSUT.org - Latham,NY,USA
Together with two labor allies, Jobs with Justice and ACORN - the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now - Minnick discussed tactics for ...
Social Security policy unfair to immigrants, groups say
Daily Free Press (subscription) - Boston,MA,USA
Russ Davis, director of Massachusetts Jobs with Justice, a workers' rights group, said the government has implemented no-match letters to "avoid real ...
No progress in AlliedBarton negotiations
The Temple News Online (subscription) - Philadelphia,PA,USA
According to those present at the meeting, Bergman told Jobs with Justice and Student Labor Action Project members that he would consult President Ann ...
Two talks to highlight Latino immigration issues
U Of L News - Louisville,KY,USA
... international programs specialist for Louisville Metro Office for International Affairs; and Attica Scott, coordinator of Kentucky Jobs With Justice. ...
First Shot: Bacon Battle
Valley Advocate - Easthampton,MA,USA
In Western Mass., the activist group Jobs With Justice wants Big Y to do the same. And that's where the story becomes local. Activists say Big Y, ...
