August 2012

Tennessee Leader and No Papers No Fear Riders Arrested in Action to Stop Deportation Program

Submitted by Natalie Patrick-Knox on August 30, 2012

Jobs with Justice East Tennessee leader gets arrested at action to stop 287(g).

On Wednesday, Fran Ansley, a Jobs with Justice leader from East Tennessee, was arrested along with three others in an action with the No Papers No Fear Ride for Justice.

The four, including two undocumented immigrants, were arrested after sitting down in the street in front of the Knox County Sheriff’s office.  For months, Sheriff JJ Jones has refused to meet with the migrant community but regularly meets with ICE in an attempt to bring the federal deportation program known as 287(g) to Knoxville, Tennessee.

Tennessee already takes part in the controversial “Secure Communities” deportation program, and by bringing in 287(g) the Sheriff would further blur the lines between his department and the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Deferred Action Policy for Immigrant Youth Raises Questions About Workers’ Rights

Submitted by Natalie Patrick-Knox on August 29, 2012

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is the biggest action taken to counter the countries broken immigration system in decades.  It is not the biggest action taken overall when you consider the several billion dollar ramp up of border security and the takeoff of a record breaking deportation programs in recent years.  Nonetheless, DACA is the first progressive policy move in decades and has the potential to help move more than 800,000 undocumented youth out of the shadows and into the authorized workforce.

Immigrant youth in Oregon receive application advice for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Photo by Causa Oregon.

Photo by Causa Oregon: Deferred Action advice session in Oregon.    

Labor Day Weekend: Tweet your Union Pride!

Submitted by Jonathan Williams on August 29, 2012

The first Labor Day was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882. Today – thanks to over 100 years of non-stop efforts by unions and workers’ rights advocates – most Americans get to kick back and enjoy the holiday.

Labor Day isn’t just a time to remember the past. Unions – and union membership – are increasingly important in today’s world.

Tweet your union pride!

Join celebrity actors, star athletes from Major League Baseball to the NFL, and thousands of others and tweet your union pride this weekend!

Tell us why you’re proud to be a #unionmember in 140 characters or less. Use the hashtag #unionmember throughout the weekend to join in the conversation.

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Walmart Warehouse Workers Expose Truth about Supply Chain Labor

Submitted by Jonathan Williams on August 27, 2012

Workers at Walmart-contracted warehouses are standing up against abusive working conditions. Listen to Daniel Lopez share his moving account of what it's like to work at a Walmart contractor, and how he and his coworkers found the one antidote to injustice: unity.

Video courtesy of Warehouse Workers United

Ride for Justice Spotlight on Worker Dignity in New Orleans

Submitted by Natalie Patrick-Knox on August 24, 2012

No Papers No Fear rally for member of the Southern 32

For three weeks now, Jobs with Justice has been watching a courageous action moving across the South.  The No Papers, No Fear: Ride for Justice has made stops in more than a dozen communities.  At each stop the bus riders have come together with community members to demonstrate that they will not be complicit to the hate and fear that tries to divide communities and families, separate students from their education, and deny workers dignity.

I Got a Fever, and the Only Prescription is Some Time Off

Submitted by Sam Nelson on August 23, 2012

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You get sick and you’re not able to work. It’s not your fault. It’s not your intention to disrupt your employer’s business. Yet that is how many employers, as well as legislators, treat the concept of paid sick days – by blaming you for getting sick.

The paid sick days’ fights going on in states like Florida, Georgia, Colorado, and Massachusetts show that workers and their community allies have had enough.  With over three-quarters of adults supporting paid sick days, the message to employers and politicians is clear: paid sick days now!

The problem with not having paid sick days extends far beyond economics, which recent research has shown is only improved by granting paid sick days. It’s a question of whether employers and legislatures are willing to give workers respect and dignity.

Join us! Caring Across Generations Twitter Chat

Submitted by Jonathan Williams on August 20, 2012

UPDATE! This event has been postponed. Stay tuned for a new date and time!


Join Aijen Poo & Van Jones for a live twitter chat on the Caring Across Generations campaign to create 2 million new quality jobs

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

3:00pm-4:00pm ET // 12:00pm-1:00pm PT

imageJoin Aijen Poo, one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World, and Van Jones, former White House advisor to President Obama, for a live twitter chat on the Caring Across Generations Campaign. Learn how transforming the care industry can create 2 million new quality care jobs and change the way we think about aging.

Atlanta School Workers Call on Workers’ Rights Board

Submitted by Erica Smiley on August 15, 2012

Atlanta Workers RallyEvery year, school bus drivers, cafeteria workers, crossing guards and other contracted school employees rely on unemployment to provide for their families during mandatory breaks.  But this year, the Georgia Department of Labor Commissioner, Mark Butler, arbitrarily barred these workers from receiving benefits after being laid-off.  Despite numerous requests to remedy the situation the Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler has refused to budge.

Reba Shinholster a Sodexo food service worker at Georgia Tech states that "We can't pay our bills, we're not eating, we don't have money to buy food, it's the truth, it's impacting our lives. The way that he is treating people is not right.

A delegation of labor leaders met with Butler on August 13th, and his office and the state attorney general are now “reviewing the case.”

National Workers’ Rights Board Convenes Panel on Civil Rights at Walmart

Submitted by Joanna Stewart on August 10, 2012

Members from the Jobs with Justice National Workers’ Rights Board met Tuesday to hear stories and reflect on how Walmart has affected workers in the US and abroad.  Angela Williamson, Wessa Milien and Ernestine Bassett from OUR Walmart, Ana Diaz, a Guestworker from the National Guestworker Alliance and three members of the National Workers’ Rights Board, Barbara Ehrenreich, Terry O’Neill, and Bill Fletcher, Jr. met with local and national allies to listen to the workers stories, what was coming next, and how they can help the struggle.

Guestworkers at a Walmart supplier share their storyThe hearing started off with Barbara Ehrenreich speaking about the Walmart economy and how it negatively impacts the lower class and the Walmart Associates, as well as those on the supply chain.

The OUR Walmart Associates and Ana Diaz, from the National Guestworker Alliance, spoke about their experiences with Walmart and how they were impacted by the company. They told shocking stories about the working conditions and complete lack of respect they deal with on a daily basis working for Walmart and on the supply chain.

Adelante! No Papers, No Fear. Ride for Justice

Submitted by Huy Ong on August 8, 2012

Last week the No Papers, No Fear Ride for Justice took off for a six week tour of the South. They are stopping in local communities to share challenges undocumented immigrants face and are organizing actions that confronts fear and builds community. Colorado Jobs with Justice, along with many other organizations, welcome the riders on their first stop in Denver. For two days, riders and local community leaders shared stories, engaged in strategy sessions and shared laughter over meals.

Workers Injured at General Motors Plant in Bogota, Colombia Launch Hunger Strike

Submitted by Jonathan Williams on August 1, 2012

5 members of ASOTRECOL, the association of workers and ex-workers injured at the General Motors assembly plant in Bogota, Colombia will launch a hunger strike on Wednesday, August 1st. This comes after spending an entire year occupying the sidewalk in front of the U.S. Embassy in a peaceful protest that has been ignored by General Motors.

Suffering from occupational injuries that come from repetitive movements, lifting excessive weights, harmful body postures, and the accelerated work pace of the assembly line, these workers were dismissed from the company shortly after their injuries were detected in the company's medical facilities.

These workers, whose health has been destroyed, have been left without anything. They are unable to find work because of their debilitating injuries and the economic hardship has meant that many of the families have lost their houses, have had services such as water, electricity and gas cut off, and do not have enough to eat.

This hunger strike is a final attempt to get General Motors to respond to their asks of compensation, medical care, and reintegration into the company or re-training for other jobs. To symbolize their commitment to this hunger strike and to the justice that they are seeking, they will be sewing their mouths closed and plan to carry out the hunger strike to the death.

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