Jobs With Justice

Last week, 99% Power launched the shareholder spring with a week of action targeting Wells Fargo, Walmart, Bank of America and Sallie Mae as key examples of how the corporate 1% devastate our communities, lives, and the planet.  The week of action demanded that these corporations renegotiate their debts to workers, homeowners, students and the environment.

Starting on April 23rd, homeowners and students descended on the Wells-Fargo shareholder meeting in Salt Lake City where the company was trying to hide after last year's protests.

The next day, workers at Walmart held their first national day of action since last year’s historic Black Friday strikes. Hundreds of Walmart workers were joined by community allies for actions at 200 stores to demand that Walmart honor its public commitment to be more consistent, transparent, and fair in scheduling shifts and hours for workers. While members of Organization United for Respect (OUR Walmart) and community supporters leafleted customers, talked to workers, and met with store managers, over 10,000 people took action in solidarity online.

In honor of May Day, our network of coalitions and allies are raising their voices this week at events across the country to prioritize workers’ rights for all in immigration reform. Click here to view our fact sheet summarizing the importance of worker protections in immigration reform.

Like many advocates for immigrant rights, we were dismayed to see such a lengthy and unreasonable citizenship process in the bipartisan Senate proposal to reform our nation’s broken immigration system. Still, we are encouraged by Senate negotiators initiating a number of core labor provisions in this bill -- including important worker protections from the POWER Act for immigrant workers who blow the whistle on employer abuse.

Deadline to apply: May 17, 2013

This summer, the national movement to make change at Walmart will take a giant step forward. In the tradition of the 1964 Freedom Summer and the UFW’s grape boycott, a deeply committed group of labor, student and community supporters will spend the summer building local OUR Walmart and Making Change at Walmart (MCAW) support teams across the country that demonstrate the broad, growing movement calling on Walmart to change.  The program will run from June 15th - Labor Day.

What we will accomplish:

• Reach 100,000 Walmart workers and add 200,000 activists to the MCAW network.
• Mobilize 30,000 activists to take part in Labor Day Actions at 2,000 stores.
• Identify and engage 5,000 supporters who commit to organize Black Friday events, to recruit others and to take monthly online and in-person actions.
• Train 200 highly committed volunteers who will return to their local union, college or community organizations with new skills and organize ongoing support for OUR Walmart and MCAW.
• Develop local support teams equipped to anchor Black Friday mobilizations and other labor/social justice campaigns.

Our Strategy: Developing Volunteer Support Teams

Photo courtesy of Atlanta Jobs with Justice

Last May, Georgia Labor Commissioner, Mark Butler, unilaterally decided to deny access to unemployment benefits to about 64,000 contracted bus drivers, custodians, crossing guards and cafeteria workers.

Since then, Atlanta Jobs with Justice has lead the Justice for School Workers campaign demanding that Commissioner Butler reinstate their unemployment benefits. Throughout the year, workers and supporters have spoken out, demonstrated, and petitioned for their benefits. On the evening on Thursday, April 4, 2013 the historic anniversary of Dr. King's assassination, the workers  won a massive victory in the State of GA!

Check out the victory announcement from Atlanta Jobs with Justice here.