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OCTOBER 2006
Washington JwJ Helps Win Economic Development that Benefits the Whole Community When our tax dollars support mega-millionaire property deals, local workers should get good jobs and residents should get affordable housing. Unfortunately, that has not been the case in Tacoma, WA… until the Winthrop buidling. Surely, this shift at the Winthrop did not arise because developers and politicians finally saw the light. It took members and allies of Jobs with Justice (JwJ) turning up the heat to get justice. Now we need to make this victory a standard for economic development in Tacoma and across the country. Last December, City Manager of Tacoma Eric Anderson tried to condemn the Winthrop apartment building and evict the tenants days before Christmas. Word was that a poverty-wage paying and anti-union developer was stalking the property to convert low-income housing into a luxury hotel. This was an all too familiar recipe. Several years earlier, City officials had sold a million-dollar prime piece of downtown for $300,000 to Hollander Investments (HI). City officials failed to require HI to develop responsibly, so it was no surprise when HI construction started without hiring significantly from the local workforce, investing in training programs, or creating good jobs. Now a Marriott Hotel franchiser operates the property, but does not pay living wages and provide affordable family healthcare. Fortunately, community leadership and a better model rose up at Tacoma Catholic Worker (TCW). Father Bichsel and Nora & Nick Leider enlisted JwJ to help organize Winthrop residents to find their public voice. JwJ Pierce County Organizing Committee co-Chair Wendy Hall helped pull together a Winthrop Town Hall meeting where City Manager Anderson had to back-pedal on the planned evictions when the Tacoma Fire Chief refused to appear at the meeting.
In October, the community celebrated a victory when the Tacoma City Council approved a plan that will create substitute affordable housing for low-income Winthrop residents and create good jobs and training for local residents during the hotel conversion and operation. The hotel developer seems prepared to build apprenticeship training opportunities for local residents and insure that substitute affordable housing will get built, and it is rumored that a hotel operator with a history of recognizing workers’ rights may ultimately run the luxury facility. As a back up to this plan, the City came up with $2.5 million to help low-income housing developer AF Evans achieve financing to refurbish the Winthrop if the hotel deal falls through. However, at this point many of these developer commitments are verbal for now, so JwJ will continue to be vigilant about holding the parties to their handshake deals. Expect more action to come! Historic US-India Report on Outsourcing Details Offshore Call Center Conditions Jobs with Justice, the Communications Workers of America, and the Indian Centre for Education and Communication, the New Trade Union Initiative, and the Young Professionals Collective have completed a historic analysis of call centers and call center workers in the U.S. and India. The report, “Bi-National Prespective on Offshore Outsourcing: A Collaboration Between Indian and US Labour”, presents research about work and working conditions in call centers in both countries. Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), or outsourcing of business processes to external service providers has become a global phenomenon. Companies in developed countries outsource low skilled service jobs to developing countries. An educated labor force, high unemployment, and relatively low wage levels make India attractive for outsourcing back office service work. The resultant boom in the service sector in India has been accompanied by emerging global debates on the loss of service sector jobs in these developed countries. Workers in India and the US are linked, for the first time, in the contemporary global supply chain of customer service work. The organizations share a global concern that unionized work should not be outsourced and that outsourced work should not remain non-union. The binational nature of the report is reflected in studying this global supply chain from the perspective of workers and trade union organizations in the two countries. An executive summary and the full report are available on the JwJ website. Philly SLAP Street Theater Holds Allied-Barton Security Accountable Allied-Barton provides about 300 security officers to the Temple campus and is the largest security company in the city of Philadelphia. Allied-Barton security officers and student organizers from the SLAP at Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania have been organizing for nearly three years for better wages, health care and training. "This is a play but all of the stories that we tell are based on documented conversations with the officers, this is theater but it is not fiction,” said sophomore and SLAP member John Anderson “The officers that guard our campus are in a real situation. The healthcare is not affordable for the guards. At $39 per check plus co-pays, a visit to the doctor will cost a guard a whole day’s pay. Many of the guards go to the free clinics and tax payers foot the bill,” said Kate Stabler, a Temple student and member of SLAP. Temple SLAP plans to continue to agitate for improved working conditions for Temple University Security Officers. The group is working in coordination with a parallel campaign with their sister chapter at the University of Pennsylvania. Workers
Kentucky JwJ Workers’ Rights Board Holds Hearing on Peabody Coal On Sunday, September 17, Kentucky Jobs with Justice hosted a Workers’ Rights Board Hearing on Peabody Coal in Henderson, Kentucky at the Zion United Church of Christ. Coal miners in Peabody’s non-union mines in Kentucky, Illinois, West Virginia, and Indiana continue to struggle for their right to choose whether to be unionized.
The panelists heard testimony from several community members as well as from Peabody coal miners themselves. Their stories of struggle with the company and in the mines were not to be forgotten. The miners urged Peabody Energy to agree to contracts that guarantee safe working conditions; high-quality, affordable health insurance to both active and retired miners; and a voice on the job. Panelists also heard testimony from a number of experts on issues such as how safety is better in union mines and why health coverage for retired miners is important. About 40 people attended the hearing which was covered by two local television stations. Kentucky Jobs with Justice will release a report from the hearing this month. University of Vermont Workers Win a New Contract On October 11, members of UE Local 267 ratified a three year agreement guaranteeing all members a minimum wage increase of 4% retroactive to July 1, 2006 and at least 4% in each of the next two years. The contract was the culmination of seven months of bargaining during which UE members wore stickers and buttons and participated in a number of rallies. With the support of the Vermont Workers’ Center/JwJ, students, faculty, staff and the community, the local was successful in making some significant strides toward a Livable Wage. Under the Agreement all current workers will be making a minimum of $11.46 per hour by the third year of the contract. According to UE Local 267 President Carmyn Stanko, “While this contract represents a number of important victories for our members, we will continue to work with students, staff, faculty and the community to implement a full Livable Wage for all UVM workers. We will also continue our coalition work with other Burlington Unions to make Burlington a Livable City.” Last spring UE members supported students in the construction and occupation of the Livable Wage Tent City on the green and have been working in solidarity with the UVM Student Labor Action Project (SLAP), the VT Workers’ Center, and other local unions and community organizations. Vermont Workers’ Center/JwJ Holds Forum on Verizon’s Plans to Sell Verizon Communications Inc. is considering selling off their local access lines throughout northern New England, raising concerns about job security and pensions for Verizon employees and concerns about rural access to high-speed internet. More than 90 people came out to an October Public Forum on the Impact of Verizon leaving Vermont: “Will Vermont’s Information Superhighway Be Turned Into a Dirt road?”
There was an outstanding turnout of Verizon workers and their families giving powerful testimony. Concerned community members drove from as far as two hours away to express their dismay about increasing the digital divide. Vermont has seen too many good jobs disappear. This time, because Verizon is a regulated utility, the community can fight to keep these jobs and access to broadband for rural communities. To learn more about this campaign and see photos and testimony from the Forum go to: www.stop-the-sale.org RI JwJ Helps Brown University Food Workers Win Contract At Brown University, the Student Labor Alliance built strong student support for the food service workers, members of SEIU Local 615 in their fight for a contract. The fight focused on treatment of the workers reflecting the prosperity of the university with dignified wages that will allow food service workers to be parents without having to work two jobs. Through the dedication of the food service workers, students and community support through Rhode Island Jobs with Justice, food service workers at Brown won health care benefits that were previously denied to more than one third of employees, a 3.5% wage increase each year and critically, fought back against Brown's health care cost–shifting proposal, winning no increase in the percentage workers must pay for their health care premiums. Students worked with the workers bargaining committee to hold the university accountable and to change their previously irresponsible labor practices. Students built support on campus by flyering outside of dining halls, holding marches and rallies with food service workers, sending several delegations to University President Ruth Simmons, collecting more than 500 student signatures on a petition in support of the workers, and attending negotiations to show their support. The students and workers are thrilled with this very important victory! Affordable Housing Victory in Champaign, IL In Champaign, IL, the City Council was poised to change the law governing Section 8 housing vouchers, a Federal housing aid program which provides money for rent. The changes would have taken away a provision that prohibits landlords from excluding potential tenants because they have Section 8 vouchers. Central Illinois Jobs with Justice joined the city’s Human Rights Commission and others for a picket at Champaign’s City Council meeting. After pressure from the community, the Council decided to table the measure until October 2007. Communities and Washington JwJ Tell Wal-Mart “Show Us Social Responsibility” When Fircrest Mayor Viafore publicly announced that Wal-Mart was planning to build a Supercenter at the border of Tacoma, Fircrest, and University Place, WA, many questioned whether this bedroom community would roar. More than one year later…
This organizing success was no sure thing. An August 2005 TNT article quoted Mayor Viafore stating “this is exactly what the council anticipated in our vision for that site.” Fircrest Council-members refused to speak about the plan or reveal their position, hiding behind a bogus legal gag order they issued to themselves. Fircrest City officials made it difficult to acquire basic information about the status of Wal-Mart plans for the site. Wal-Mart mailed two postcards and conducted at least one phone poll to local residents to recruit their own “Astroturf” committee. Most worrisome, concerned residents expressed doubts that they could take on an inaccessible City Hall and fight this Wal-Mart plan. Even getting permission to discuss this issue in Fircrest facilities was an obstacle. With the support of members of the retail workers union (UFCW Local 367) who live in the impacted community, JwJ’s member organizations, and several courageous local elected leaders such as State Rep. Tami Green and UP Council-member Jean Brooks, Jobs with Justice then developed a plan and committed resources to build an autonomous local community-based group to fight the Wal-Mart Superstore plan. This West End group is now “Fircrest Against Wal-mart” (FAW) and it has been busy as a beehive. Check out website: www.fircrestagainstwalmart.org. Not only has public opposition visibly galvanized, but neighboring governments such as Tacoma, UP, and the Tacoma Community College have challenged the impacts of the Wal-Mart Supercenter. The campaign developed at least 50 coalition relationships with local civic, business, and religious entities, and assessed over 30 local elected or public official deciders. Opposition transcends political affiliation. As Wal-Mart Supercenter promotion has publicly vanished, community leaders are considering suspending activity while JwJ and others look to a new phase in the Social Responsibility at Wal-Mart campaign. Wal-Mart has galvanized a campaign that is giving rise to an economic justice movement similar to the environmental movement that has given communities a voice in land use planning. |
ACTION LINKS Stop Cintas from Firing Immigrant Workers Be Friends with JwJ on Myspace Are you a Working Assets Customer? You can vote for Jobs with Justice to receive money from your bills. Vote online before December 31. Are you a Federal Employee? You can now give to Jobs with Justice through the Combined Federal Campaign. Just designate #1182. MEDIA LINKS Workers Rights Nurses hit NLRB chief on supervisor ruling New Federal Ruling Could Bust Union Membership Board slashes workers’ rights to join unions On the picket line eed for union gains ground in BPO: Study CWA and Indian unions take on call centers Online Exclusive: Xenophobia is alive and well Jobs with Justice Responds to Rash of Anti-Immigrant Ordinances New stage in the crackdown on immigration Campaigns around measure to raise minimum wage pick up pace Should a job pay this much? Woburn Advocate - Concord,MA,USA ... strike. Proponents of the law include the Service Employees International Union and a group called Massachusetts Jobs with Justice. ... Not On Our Campus Study points to area, state 'health care gap' Dole Fresh Flowers to cut workers Business owner at odds with state Congressman Peter King Talks, Students Protest Report: Central Oregon Small Business Owners, Workers Suffer from ... Social equity key to sustainability Group's rally to seek response to 'poorest big city' designation News briefs from around Florida Comings and Goings Our No Lamont Lament Hearing to focus on future of broadband service Vermont ‘Iraq For Sale: The War Profiteers’ to Appear at The Tower ... NY transit strike assessed Laura Bush lures diverse protesters |
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City officials then shifted strategies to block a low-income housing developer’s plan to renovate the Winthrop. Nick Leider, JwJ Executive Board representative to the religious community and TCW Steering Rep to JwJ, again appealed to JwJ’s Organizing Committee to join a protest at a City Council meeting. With Winthrop residents and Tacoma Catholic Worker members leading the charge, JwJ rallied at City Hall along with several Council members. Protestors overflowed Council chambers during the long Council delays , comments, debates, and deliberation. While waiting until the Winthrop issue arose last on the agenda, citizens took notice of City Councilors pattern of granting massive 10 year tax breaks to developers to build luxury homes for wealthy residents without requiring any stipulations about the quality of the jobs created or substitute affordable housing. Despite this ongoing wealth transfer practice to corporate developers, citizens made their point that day about the Winthrop. Hotel workers’ union leaders (UNITE HERE Local 8) sat in the front row of chambers and spoke to the need for affordable housing and good jobs.
On Thursday, October 28, Temple University Student Labor Action Project (SLAP) activists staged a street theater play called the “Economic Make-Over Show” to illustrate how the lives of the Allied Barton security officers would change if their wages and benefits were improved. Student activists dressed up like Allied-Barton security officers who were on a game show opposite of Ronald Perelman, Pennsylvania billionaire and part-owner of Allied Barton. The actor playing Ron Perelman heard security officers talk about their “problem areas” that included low wages, unaffordable benefits and inadequate pension plans.
Several JwJ coalitions 
Carefully selected community leaders, faith leaders, business leaders and other community members from around the state of Kentucky provided a broad perspective to ensure the democratic rights of all workers, as well as a moral voice for economic issues concerning justice for working women and men. The WRB panelists included: Irwin “Buddy” Cutler, labor lawyer, Priddy, Cutler, Miller & Meade Law Firm, Louisville, KY; Father J. Edward Bradley, priest, Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, Henderson, KY; Rev. Phil Hoy, pastor Zion United Church of Christ and state representative in the Indiana legislature from Evansville, IN; Anna Davis-Nall, President of the NAACP, Webster County KY and Executive Director of the Kentucky Rural Development Initiative; Reps. J. R. Gray and Joni Jenkins, Kentucky General Assembly; Dr. Cornelia Glenn, Professor of Teacher Education, Owensboro State Technical Community College; and Bishop Raymond Marion, Madisonville Branch NAACP.
The panel and discussion were facilitated by Congressman Bernie Sanders and included other Vermont Workers’ Rights Board members Rabbi Joshua Chasan, Rep. Helen Head (D - S. Burlington), Rep. Mark Larson (D – Burlington), Rep. Floyd Nease (D – Johnson), Katherine Nopper – UVM student leader/SLAP and Rep. David Zuckerman (P-Burlington). Also on the panel were Chris Campbell – Direcetor of Telecom, Dept of Public Service, Maureen Connelly – Economic Development Council, Northern VT, and Beth Fastiggi - Verizon spokesperson. 