JwJ News 07-05
JULY 2005
- WA JwJ & AFGE Fight Union-Busting Rules for Federal Workers
- First U.S. Social Forum Set for Atlanta in 2006
- CAFTA passes House - Find out how your Representative Voted
- St Joseph Valley Project/JwJ Stands with Highway Workers to Demand Reinstatement of their Bargaining Rights
- JwJ Delegation Attends Immigrant Worker Strategy Session
- JwJ Co-Sponsors Congressional Progressive Caucus Reception
- NYC JwJ Advances Accountable Economic Development in New York State
- Welcome East Bay JwJ Organizing Committee!
- Pre-Reg Deadline for the Annual Meeting 8/15 - Register Now!
- Jobs with Justice Unity Principles
WA JwJ & AFGE Fight Union-Busting Rules for Federal Workers
In the name of "national security," the Bush Administration has launched an attack on hundreds of thousands of civilian federal defense workers. Under the "National Security Personnel System", Federal workers including Veteran's Administration hospital workers, civilian workers at military installations including Fort Lewis, McChord Air Force Base, National Guard Camp Murray, and many other civilian Department of Defense workers would be thrust into a patronage system where they could be transferred anywhere in the world on virtually no notice and without meaningful appeal. Do you hear that sound? - That's the backdoor draft.
The next time a courageous federal worker reveals torture at a foreign base, that worker could be transferred to that very base in retaliation. Whistle-blowers who expose misuse of funds or false schemes like Bush's Social Security privatization could face exile. Raises and discipline will be at the arbitrary whim of bosses without appeal. When civilian workers are shipped to combat zones, these jobs will likely be privatized low-wage companies. Unless we fight back, in the name of our US government, Bush will strip almost 1 million workers' right to collective bargaining and unionizing (a recognized international human right). This is all clearly spelled out in Bush's NSPS: http://www.afge.com/Index.cfm?Page=DefenseConference.
Federal workers and JwJ are standing for all workers' rights by organizing and taking action for the right to an independent voice in the biggest national workplace. Because this is such hypocrisy, we can make a difference in this struggle. Last month, the federal workers union (AFGE) and JwJ organized an informational picket and leaflet at the gate to Fort Lewis and Madigan hospital. Gauging from the scores of military truck horns blasting, thousands of leaflets accepted by drivers in fatigues and civies, the strong showing of local Faith leaders from Associated Ministries and St. Leo's and First United Methodist, and the fair story in the Tacoma News Tribune the next day, we know that actions like these can jump start a movement in the federal workforce. In fact, over 35 federal worker union members showed up at 7am to participate in the picket. Several days later and after several more federal worker union rallies through out the nation, Bush delayed implementing his new system. WA JwJ is working with AFGE to plan a Workers' Rights Board Hearing and more strategic actions on this critical campaign.
First U.S. Social Forum Set for Atlanta in 2006
The World Social Forum (WSF) model is spreading throughout the world, and a wide range of grassroots organizations and networks have just announced the first ever U.S. Social Forum (USSF) to take place next summer in Atlanta, GA. 20,000 participants are expected to convene during the summer of 2006 in Atlanta to build a broader national movement for social justice around the world.
The USSF Planning Committee decided on the site after an extensive criteria-setting and selection process that looked at more than a dozen cities across the U.S. The planning group chose Atlanta because of its, and the U.S. South's, significance as the site of past and ongoing struggles for social and economic justice. The South has been the site of the most determined and consistent fights for black freedom, indigenous self-determination, and working class emancipation. The South has also been a historically exploited region that has restricted unions and deterred environmental regulations, while creating a legal system that defended capitalism's right to exploit working people. In an endorsement letter for Atlanta's proposal, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin writes, "As the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King III, Atlanta has a very proud history of promoting and celebrating human rights. It is a history we continue to appreciate and build upon for the future. Serving as the host city for the US Social Forum is a continuation of our legacy."
Currently, the region is home to new immigrant-groups from Latin America, Africa and Asia. Many of these new immigrants are political or economic refugees whose situation is the result of corporate globalization and who seek to find common ground in order to build a powerful movement for social and economic justice. Planners hope that holding the USSF in Atlanta will give space for the bottom-up movement building that has been emerging throughout the region and that it will, in turn, significantly impact the rest of the country.
The USSF Planning Committee includes: 50 Years Is Enough Network, American Friends Service Committee, Commission for Religion in Appalachia, Community Voices Heard, DARE, RI, Grassroots Global Justice, Indigenous Environmental Network, Indigenous Women's Network, Jobs with Justice, Just Transition Alliance, Labor/Community Strategy Center, Listen, Inc., National Center for Human Rights Education, National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Native American Representatives for youth and Alaska, Native Social and Civic Justice, NW Social Forum Representatives, NYC AIDS Housing Network, Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, Project South, SEIU, Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice, Southwest Workers Union, TN Economic Renewal Network, United Students Against Sweatshops.
CAFTA passes House - Find out how your Representative Voted
At 12:02am on July 28, the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) narrowly passed the House by a vote of 217 to 215. The agreeement passed only after Bill supporters held open the roll call for almost an hour, instead of the usual 15 minutes. Find out how your Representative voted at: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll443.xml. Don't know who your Representative is? You can enter your address & look them up at: http://www.unionvoice.org/jobswithjustice/leg-lookup/search.tcl?domain=jobswithjustice
St Joseph Valley Project/JwJ Stands with Highway Workers to Demand Reinstatement of their Bargaining Rights
On June 27, St. Joseph Valley Project/South Bend JwJ joined Elkhart County, IN highway maintenance workers to at a courthouse rally to demand that County Commissioners reinstate their bargaining rights. The workers' union, AFSCME 62, received a letter from County Commissioners stating, "You and the highway maintenance employees were advised in writing of the commissioners' decision to no longer recognize AFSCME as the bargaining agent for the highway maintenance employees after June 30, 2005… Elkhart County sees no reason for further communication or the need to meet with AFSCME representatives." State and local government workers are not covered by the National Labor Relations Act, so no law compels the government to bargain with employees.
Joseph Carbone, chairman of the St. Joseph Valley Project/ Jobs with Justice spoke to an emotional crowd stating, "If these tactics of taking away bargaining rights of employees was done in Poland or Russia, then our government would condemn these governments for taking away these workers' democratic rights to organize."
This is not the first time this year that Indiana's government workers have come under attack. Back in January, newly elected Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels eliminated the collective bargaining rights of nearly 25,000 state workers, eliminating their right to negotiate pay, health benefits, and work rules. He declared existing contracts with the unions null and void.
JwJ Delegation Attends Immigrant Worker Strategy Session
From June 15-18, a JwJ delegation attended the National Immigrant Worker Strategy Session and the Low-Income Immigrant Rights Conference in Washington, DC. The conference was organized by the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) and convened by the AFL-CIO and a number of other national immigrant rights organizations. The JwJ delegation included staff and leaders from Rhode Island, Eastern Massachusetts, Colorado, Atlanta, South Florida, Central Florida, and St. Louis. The conference created space for JwJ to meet and to introduce key allies in the immigrant rights movement to JwJ, to learn more about national and local immigrant rights policy initiatives, and to strategize on how we are building a grassroots movement for comprehensive immigration reform. We hope to take a lot of what we learned through this conference and share it back with the JwJ network at the "Justice for Immigrant Workers and Communities" pre-conference at the Annual Meeting.
JwJ Co-Sponsors Congressional Progressive Caucus Reception
On June 28, JwJ joined other national organizations and members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus at a reception launching "The Progressive Promise", a set of core principles and an alternative to Bush's "Ownership Society". The Progressive Promise is rooted in three core principles: Fighting for economic justice and security for all; Protecting and preserving our civil rights and civil liberties; and Promoting global peace and security. Among the speakers at the reception were Progressive Caucus co-chairs Lynn Woolsey and Barbara Lee, other members of Congress, and Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. JwJ Executive Director Fred Azcarate also had the opportunity to speak. "For over 18 years, Jobs with Justice has been building local community, labor, religious and student coalitions that are building power for workers and communities, and we are proud to stand with our friends in the Congressional Progressive Caucus to fight for organizing and collective rights, health care for all, immigrant rights, and global justice."
NYC JwJ Advances Accountable Economic Development in New York State
NYC JwJ is coordinating an ad-hoc coalition of groups from around New York State, calling for reform of the state's Industrial Development Agencies (IDAs), which provide subsidies to corporations for economic development. The specific principles advocated by the coalition include: ensuring broader oversight and coordination; developing Community Impact Reports (CIRs); mandating basic standards like prevailing wage; improving reporting requirements; requiring enforceable clawback penalties; increasing the effectiveness of IDA public hearings; ensuring that IDAs are run transparently; and establishing meaningful penalties for IDAs that violate anti-piracy provisions.
The coalition won an initial victory in June when the NYS Assembly and Senate voted to extend for one year sections of the IDA Legislation that were set to sunset in July, thus providing more time to enact reforms that will make the IDAs operate more efficiently and transparently.
Welcome East Bay JwJ Organizing Committee!
East Bay JwJ is off to a great start! Over the last several months, the newly formed coalition has been mobilizing activists to support an ongoing UNITE-HERE contract struggle in local hotels. East Bay JwJ also co-organized a July 16 Community Dialogue on immigration reform with TX Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. Over 100 people turned out for the forum, which was also broadcast live on KPFA public radio.
MEDIA LINKS
Introducing the 2005 class of Forum Fellows
Louisville Courier-Journal - Louisville,KY,USA
... for 14 years. She describes herself a community activist and is coordinator of Kentucky Jobs with Justice. Diane Sehlinger, Louisville ...
Stop CAFTA
Columbus Free Press - Columbus,OH,USA
by Jobs with Justice. CAFTA passes Senate, we need your help to defeat CAFTA in the House of Representatives! A decade ago, the US ...
Community Leaders, Elected Officials, Workers to Discuss Workers ...
Yahoo News (press release) - USA
... Bloomingdale; Rev. Jack O'Malley, representatives of Jobs with Justice and American Rights@ Work, and other community leaders. The ...
AFL-CIO Holding Town Hall Forum on Employee Free Choice Act ...
dBusinessNews Pittsburgh (press release) - Pittsburgh,PA,USA
... speakers include Pennsylvania AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Bloomingdale, Father Jack O'Malley, and representatives of Jobs with Justice and America ...
Hampton Inn illegals collared, PD says
Bennington Banner - Bennington,VT,USA
... August. James Haslam, director of the Vermont Workers Center, said the employment of illegal workers is a growing problem in Vermont. ...
Why Montpelier's downtown union drive ended
Barre Montpelier Times Argus - Barre,VT,USA
... In June of 2003 the Vermont Workers' Center -- Jobs With Justice began partnering with United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America (UE) to pioneer ...
TIme to ante up for health care
New York Daily News - New York,NY,USA
... Jobs with Justice, a labor coalition promoting the proposed law, has rounded up support from civic-minded business leaders like John Catsimatidis, the CEO of ...
Redefining Fair Trade
Chicago Tribune, Chicago, IL
By James Thindwa, Chicago Jobs with Justice
Labor Split a Mixed Bag
In These Times - Chicago,IL,USA
... Perhaps the model should be Jobs With Justice, the labor-community coalition that asks members to pledge "to be there" at least five times a year for some ...
Central Oregon Jobs with Justice receives $1,300 grant from RESIST
Bend.com - Bend,OR,USA
Central Oregon Jobs with Justice, a labor-community coalition for economic justice and workers' rights, has been awarded a $1,300 grant by RESIST, Inc., a ...
Debate continues on Illinois impact
Chicago Daily Herald - Chicago,IL,USA
... "What we're trying to prevent is a race to the bottom," said James Thindwa, executive director of Chicago Jobs With Justice, which is asking its members ...
