Central Florida Townhall and Call to Action on the Economic Crisis

Submitted by Denise Diaz on February 11, 2010

As President Obama announced in Tampa that High Speed rail jobs were coming to Orlando, local community and labor activists came together to understand the uphill battle for workers accessing these jobs.   Central Florida Jobs with Justice along with the Central Florida AFL-CIO hosted a townhall to discuss how this economic crisis will impact the city’s outlook for jobs.

With over 40 people in attendance, people heard passages from the study Battered by the Storm: How the Safety Net is failing Americans and How to fix it which shows the severity of families quickly falling into poverty.  We also heard from the report Beyond the Quick Fix: ARRA Contracting, Jobs and building a fair recovery that highlighted the lack or transparency and impact of Stimulus dollars on communities of color and low income.

Hugo Boss Threatens to Move Overseas if Workers Refuse $4/Hr Pay Cut

Submitted by Debbie Kline on February 3, 2010

Clevelanders Protest the Closing of Hugo BossIt wasn’t very long ago that every time you looked at a clothing label you would see “Made in the USA.”  Not only was it made in the USA but it probably also had some sort of connection to a thriving garment industry in the Cleveland area.  Names like Joseph & Feiss Co, Bobbie Brooks, Printz-Biederman, Lion Knitting Mills, and Cleveland Worsted Mill dominated the industry and union cards kept people gainfully employed.

But this good thing has come to an end.  Now Hugo Boss, the last clothing manufacturer in Cleveland, has given notice of their intent to shutter their plant and permanently lay off 400 workers at the end of April.

Hugo is closing because they want to ship the jobs to a plant in Turkey where they can pay much less than the average current rate of $12 per hour they pay Cleveland employees.

Hugo management offered to stay if the employees were willing to cut pay to $8 an hour.

Maybe there should be a new rule—no more pay cuts anywhere unless and until management actually lives on what they are asking the workers to live on for at least a year.

Dozens Block Traffic Protesting Inaction on Immigration Reform

Submitted by JwJNational on January 29, 2010

Mass deportations and workplace raids continue to terrorize communities across the United States.  Racist immigration policies further divide families and communities and force millions of people to live under the constant threat that any interaction with police—however minor—could lead to detention and even deportation.

On January 26th, hundreds rallied outside the Department of Homeland Security and dozens blocked streets to bring attention to the need for immigration reform NOW.  The protest was organized by CASA de Maryland and brought activists from DC Jobs with Justice, Nakasec, National Day Labor Organizing Network, and more.

Mackenzie Baris of DC JwJ explained, "this broken immigration system not only hurts the individuals and families who are caught in raids, but also hurts all workers and the economy as a whole by allowing employers to exploit the differences in immigration status to take advantage of workers and deny their rights."

Tuesday’s action also drew attention to The Trail of DREAMs.  Drawing inspiration from the civil rights movement, four students are walking from Florida to DC to bring public attention to a failed immigration system that tears families apart and halts the progress of students studying to contribute to their communities.

Boston Activists Rally at Goldman Sachs

Submitted by JwJNational on January 28, 2010

Goldman Sachs’ speculation and profiteering was a major cause of the recession and now their CEO is giving out $16.7 billion in bonuses. They got a bailout, what do all of us get? 

On January 21, Boston community leaders and activists marched on Goldman Sachs to demand that Executive Bonuses be used to fund the Ellison Jobs Bill.  The amount of Goldman Sachs' bonuses would cover more than half of the $30 billion jobs bill that would put unemployed people to work improving our communities.

Howard Zinn, August 24, 1922 - January 27, 2010

Submitted by JwJNational on January 28, 2010

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of historian, author, teacher, and activist Howard Zinn. 

Howard was a long time supporter of Jobs with Justice.  He was arrested in in 1996 as part of a Jobs with Justice delegation peacefully supporting striking immigrant workers at the Richmark factory in Everett, MA. 

Howard Zinn inspired the Western Massachusetts Jobs with Justice "Voices of a People’s History" performance and inspired our "Voices of Working People’s History" May Day Celebration.  You can listen to Howard deliver a heart-wrenching and spirited reading of his work  incorporating a rich selection of quotations and rememberances of labor history in Western Massachusetts on the W. Mass JwJ website.

His leadership, insight, and inspiration will be greatly missed.

Obituaries:

More information will be forthcoming at www.howardzinn.org.

A Nurse's Report From Haiti Earthquake

Submitted by James Haslam on January 26, 2010

Vermont Nurses & Technical Professionals Travel to HaitiA team of VT Nurses, EMTs, and paramedics from Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, VT, members of the Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (AFT),  are organizing donations and groups of volunteers to go to Haiti in the coming days, weeks and months to help with the relief efforts.  Below is a report from Mari Cordes, RN from the amazing first group of Fletcher Allen nurses and providers who are in now in Haiti.  The Vermont Workers' Center /JwJ is proud that Mari is also a major leader in the Healthcare is a Human Right Campaign.

Hundreds Of Vermonters Urged Lawmakers To Act On Healthcare

Submitted by James Haslam on January 22, 2010

Cross-posted from Vermont Workers' Center/JwJ.

VT Health Care Hearing at StatehouseA large crowd of over 350 people attended the joint hearings held by Vermont Senate Health & Welfare Committee and House Committee on Healthcare at the Statehouse last Tuesday.  Dozens of Vermonters testified urging lawmakers to pass the single-payer healthcare bill, S.88 and H.100 (see summary of the bills here). Senator Bernie Sanders joined hundreds of members of the Healthcare Is A Human Right Campaign, which is coordinated by the Vermont Workers' Center.

"We come to you tonight to demand a healthcare system that is based on principles that recognize that healthcare is a human right," spoke Margaret Dunne from Rutland, reading testimony on behalf of her wife Bela Schrug.

Change Cannot Happen Without You.

Submitted by JwJNational on January 21, 2010

During his election victory speech Obama said, “This victory alone is not the change we seek -- it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you."

Over the last year there have been some steps forward in the struggle to build a more just society, and unfortunately some missteps along the way.  Corporate interests are manipulating frustrations over lack of progress in fixing health care, the economy, labor law, Wall Street and the financial sector.  Wall Street and the Chamber of Commerce are attempting to deflect their own responsibility for the economic crisis and use grassroots anger to block the very reforms we need for a new economy.

Scholarships Available to Union Families, Student Activists

Submitted by JwJNational on January 19, 2010

Two exciting scholarship opportunities have come to our attention recently.

UNION PLUS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
Deadline:  January 30, 2010

Union members and their children are eligible for $500 - $4,000 scholarships for college graduate and undergraduate programs.  Since 1992, the Union Plus Scholarship Program has awarded more than $2.4 million to students of working families who want to begin or continue their post-secondary education.  You can learn more and download the application here.

DAVIS-PUTTER SCHOLARSHIP FUND
Deadline: April 1, 2010

Cardinal, Los Angeles Mayor Hear from Car Wash Workers

Submitted by Ricardo Valadez on January 15, 2010

National Workers’ Rights Board hearing exposes wage theft, safety violations; highlights need for collective bargaining for car wash workers in Los Angeles, Nation.

Car Wash Workers' Rights Board HearingYesterday at Los Angeles City Hall, members of the Jobs with Justice National Workers’ Rights Board (WRB) were joined by other distinguished guests to hear gripping testimony about the hazards facing car wash workers.  Over 250 union and community members packed the room to overflowing to hear from workers, consumer, health and safety advocates, and United Steel Workers President Leo Gerard.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa addressed the panel and the audience, thanking the WRBs’ leadership for protecting workers, and praising the courage of the workers who are speaking out.  The Mayor pledged to remain engaged in this fight.  “We look forward to reviewing the recommendations from this board for addressing abuses in this industry,” said the Mayor.  “It’s important the public understand what’s going on at car washes in Los Angeles.”

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Jobs with Justice is a national network of local coalitions that bring together labor unions, faith groups, community organizations, and student activists to fight for working people. Our members are in the streets in 46 cities in 24 states across the country.

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