August 2002 Jobs with Justice Update

Available online at www.jwj.org/updates/08-02.htm
Contents:

• Danny Glover Joins South Florida JwJ WRB
• Milwaukee JwJ Spearheads Efforts to “Stop the Bus Cuts!”
• Chicago JwJ Fights Effects of Social Security Number “No Match” Letters
• Utah JwJ Takes Innovative Approach to Living Wage Fight
• Washington State JwJ takes action for Immigrant Workers’ Rights
• Buffalo JwJ Rallies for a Living Wage
• Columbus JwJ Turns up the Heat on Living Wage
• Boston Environmental & Labor Activists Come Together to Fight Shaws
• “NO THANKS” for the Fast Track Vote
• Atlanta JwJ Cross-Border Solidarity!
  

Danny Glover Joins South Florida JwJ WRB
Over 350 people turned out for the first ever South Florida Jobs with Justice Workers’ Rights Board hearing! The event, “Organizing Out of Poverty” was co-sponsored by the Institute for Policy Studies and was part of a series of WRB hearings that JwJ and IPS have organized this year to demonstrate the broad range of economic justice issues confronting workers and their communities. The incredibly diverse crowd packed the auditorium of the United Teachers of Dade County. The entire hearing was translated into both Spanish and Haitian Creole.

WRB members included Marlene Bastien of Haitian Women of Miami, Brad Brown of the Miami-Dade NAACP, Michael Fischl, U of M Professor of Law, Pastor Donna Schaper, Bishop Simeon Watson, State Rep Cindy Lerner, State Rep Frederica Wilson, Daniela Levine of the Human Services Coalition, and was moderated by Lida Rodriguez-Taseff of the Greater Miami ACLU. Renowned actor Danny Glover served as a special guest member of the Workers Rights Board, generating excellent headlines for the hearing and following actions.

The Workers Rights Board Hearing was organized into three panels. Panel One featured expert testimony on the Living Wage and the reality that the incredibly wealthy community of Miami has the highest poverty rate in the nation, an AFSCME school bus driver who is fighting privatization, a CWA Bell South worker whose job is being relocated, and a housing activist from LIFFT.

Panel Two opened with expert testimony from special guest Mr. Bill Lucy (Secretary Treasurer of AFSCME and President of CBTU) who outlined the barriers facing workers’ right to organize. Mr. Lucy was followed by a UNITE! member who was fired by the Point Blank Company for organizing and a Mt. Sinai nursing home worker organizing with SEIU 1199 Florida who detailed the union-busting tactics of management. Also on the panel were a nursing home worker who now has union representation with SEIU and a pastor who has been there supporting the workers. The difference that the union makes was clear; not just wages and benefits but dignity and democratic rights in the workplace!

The final panel focused specifically on the issues of immigrant workers and the struggle for legalization. The Coalition of Immokalee workers detailed the plight of farm workers, a member of the Carpenters described the challenges of supporting his family as an undocumented worker and the difference his union makes, and a community leader from Unidad Hondurena detailed how employers exploit undocumented workers and called on everyone present to commit to solidarity with immigrant workers. The call to support the Reward Work postcard campaign were met with loud cheers of Si Se Puede!!

While the WRB deliberated on the testimony, activists from a wide range of community groups including the Miami Workers’ Center, Save Dade, and the Initiative to Reduce Class Size gave short campaign updates. The WRB returned and made strong commitments of action to support of the Living Wage campaign, the organizing campaign at Mt. Sinai nursing home, the campaign of the Immokalee Workers, and the Reward Work postcard campaign in support of legalization for immigrant workers. The WRB also pledged to document the incredible testimony by issuing a report on the Hearing. 

Danny Glover closed the hearing with a rousing speech and hundreds boarded buses and headed to a lively demonstration in support of the right to organize at Mt. Sinai Nursing Home. The demonstration was a celebration of Haitian culture in defiance of the racist and culturally insensitive attacks by management on the Haitian- American women workers. A smaller delegation led by Danny Glover also visited TGK, one of the detention centers where Haitian refugees - women and children - have been unjustly detained.

The hearing has already been followed by incredible action: vigils protesting the deportation of Haitians by the INS; the workers at Point Blank have walked out on strike demanding recognition of their union; the NLRB has issued new rulings against Mt. Sinai nursing home; the Living Wage campaign is heating up. All of this demonstrates how critical it is that Jobs with Justice is building a mobilization capacity to BE THERE in campaigns following Workers’ Rights Board hearings!

Milwaukee JwJ Spearheads Efforts to “Stop the Bus Cuts!”
Working with ATU Local 998 (the local that represents public bus drivers), as well as student and community groups concerned with bus riders’ rights, Milwaukee JwJ has launched a petition-signing campaign calling for more dedicated funding for the Milwaukee County Transit System. The current county budget proposal outlines a plan to completely cut 70 bus driver positions and 7 bus routes and scale back another 11 bus routes.

On August 5, activists got over 3,000 petition signatures in downtown Milwaukee. Many organizations have gotten involved in planning strategy and mobilizing for upcoming budget hearings, including: Badger Assoc. for the Blind, Students for Corporate Responsibility, Milwaukee County Labor Council, Casa Maria Catholic Worker, Storyhill Neighborhood Association, UAW Local 9, MICAH, St. Benedict the Moor, Faith Community for Worker Justice, Education for the People, CWA Local 4603, 9-5 Assoc. of Working Women, Transit Plus Advisory Council, plus bus drivers and riders. The coalition plans to be at every hearing with the County Executive and is well on their way to gathering their goal of 10,000 signatures!

Chicago JwJ Fights Effects of Social Security Number “No Match” Letters
Since the Hoffman Plastics Supreme Court decision, thousands of Chicago workers have been fired after their employers received Social Security number “No Match” letters. These letters are sent to employers to notify them that current employees’ social security numbers do not match the information provided upon being hired. It is not mandated that employers fire the workers—but they are doing so in droves.

In response, Chicago JwJ, ICIRR, Chicago Interfaith, and the IL AFL-CIO have formed a taskforce to organize against recent anti-immigrant worker trends. In June, the taskforce organized a very successful rally outside the INS building in the Loop. Upcoming events include: a day-long conference “Labor and Immigration: Connecting the Movements to Win Justice and Rights for All Workers” on September 27th at Teamster City and a half-day training with the CFL and the IL AFL-CIO for union leaders and staff on Social Security “No Match” letters in late August.

Utah JwJ Takes Innovative Approach to Living Wage Fight
Many of you may remember the devastating blow to the Living Wage movement in 2000 when the Utah legislature passed an ordinance that prohibited cities from requiring businesses and contractors to pay more than the federal minimum wage. Utah Jobs with Justice is fighting that legislation with a Living Wage proposal that would require that the Salt Lake City government treat the bids of contractors paying a living wage as 1% lower than their competitors, giving them an advantage over companies that pay their workers less. The proposed ordinance would also require all contractors with bids valued at more than $25,000 to provide a “Poverty Reduction Statement” that shows what percentage of their employees will be paid a living wage and what percentage will receive health benefits. This living wage proposal is backed by a study that analyzed employment and poverty levels in Utah in the two months after the Olympics. The study found that 28.7 % of jobs in Utah do not pay even the $8.70 per hour that would put a family of four at the federal poverty line. Utah JwJ announced the results of the study and the new living wage proposal at a 75-person rally and press conference on the front steps of the Salt Lake City-County building. The rally was covered by all four local TV stations, radio, and the two major daily newspapers.

Washington State JwJ takes action for Immigrant Workers’ Rights
On July 27, Washington State Jobs with Justice helped to organize a rally and press conference to support the immigrant workers and to demand an end to racist scapegoating in the name of ‘national security’. The rally was provoked by the discovery that the management of LSG Sky Chef, where workers prepare food for airlines at the SeaTac Airport, collaborated with the Immigration Naturalization Service (INS) to host a raid of the facility that resulted in the arrest of 16 Asian and Latino immigrant workers. The workers at Sky Chef ( a subsidiary of Lufthansa) are represented by HERE, which is currently in national contract negotiations with the company.

Union members reported that LSG Sky Chef requested employees report to their shift an hour early to attend a company meeting to discuss problems associated with their uniforms. INS agents conducted this meeting, dressed in company uniforms and posing as LSG Sky Chef management. Employees attending this meeting were promised extra pay but were instead arrested, detained, and forced to sign ‘voluntary deportation’ papers.

Over 200 union and community activists turned out to the July 27th rally to express concern for the outrageous anti-worker and anti-immigrant conduct of the port employer. They demanded standards of corporate responsibility for airport employers. They protested abuses of immigrant workersunder the Aviation and Transportation Security Act’s “Operation Tarmac.” They demanded that Sky Chef stop intimidating workers engaged in collective bargaining by using the INS and excuses of “national security”.

The rally and press conference was sponsored by APALA—Puget Sound, Washington State JwJ, APALA-Seattle, UFCW 1001, ILWU Local 19, Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters, Teamsters 763, Out Front Labor Coalition/Pride At Work, LELO, Lutheran Public Policy of Washington State, State Representative Velma Veloria (11th), Casa Latina, State Senator Adam Kline (37th), AFSC, State Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos (37 th), Refuse & Resist-Seattle, Hate Free Zone Campaign of Washington, Washington Alliance for Immigrant & Refugee Justice, Committee for General Amnesty and Justice, and the Not In Our Name Project-Seattle.

Buffalo JwJ Rallies for a Living Wage
On July 10, 200 labor, religious, community and student activists joined the Coalition For Economic Justice/Buffalo JwJ and Citizen Action for a rally outside City Hall to protest actions by the Mayor and City Council to revise the Living Wage Ordinance, stripping it of enforcement and notification requirements. CEJ/JwJ and Citizen Action have filed a lawsuit against the City for failure to implement the law, but the City has failed to honor a court order to provide them with public documents. “Shame on You” was the message many had for the Mayor and the Council for changing the Ordinance legislation instead of enforcing it.

Speakers included City Council Member Antoine Thompson, Erie County Legislator Crystal Peoples, Reverend Merle Showers, Buffalo AFL-CIO Council President John Kaczorowski, Joan Malone of the New York State Labor Religion Coalition, Joann Cole of Citizen Action, and Maria Whyte of CEJ/Buffalo JwJ. The event received media coverage from all three major television stations as well as the local newspaper and radio stations. Those who gathered are committed in helping with the next steps of putting pressure on members of the City Council to re-amend the legislation, as well as increase efforts to educated the public and gain more endorsers for the Living Wage Campaign.

Columbus JwJ Turns up the Heat on Living Wage
Greater Columbus Jobs with Justice, in partnership with the Franklin County Central Labor Council, hosted a forum on July 16, 2002, entitled, “Is It Time for A Living Wage in Columbus?” The forum, held at the Columbus Urban League, was moderated by Glen Skeen of CWA Local 4320. Speakers included representatives from a local Baptist Church, the Ohio AFL-CIO, Policy Matters Ohio, and a member of Columbus City Council. Represented at the forum were eight union locals, nine community organizations, and six religious organizations.

Mayor Michael Coleman, who promised a living wage during his campaign 3 years ago, declined his invitation to the forum, so an empty chair with a nameplate was set up to illustrate to attendees that this effort was not enough of a priority for him to even send a representative. The City Council member in attendance was challenged on her promise to set up a “task force” to study the living wage issue.

Attendees wrote letters to the Mayor asking him to come back to the table with labor and community organizations. Later that week, Columbus JwJ delivered the letters to the mayor and delivered a list of low-wage workers for inclusion on the living wage task force to the city council member.

Boston Environmental & Labor Activists Come Together to Fight Shaws
Marching behind the banner, “Shoppers Unite for Safe Foods and Workers’ Rights,” over 200 labor, community, and environmental activists in Boston gathered on a steamy July 22nd afternoon to march and rally against one common enemy - J. Sainsbury, the British parent company of local supermarket chain Shaws, which owns the Star Market chain. In England, J. Sainsbury owns supermarkets where workers are unionized, paid a living wage, and receive free healthcare. Sainsbury also agreed to remove genetically engineered ingredients from its store brand foods in England. In New England, E. Mass. JwJ has been working with the UFCW for the past year in their effort to organize supermarket workers in the face of harsh union-busting tactics, while Greenpeace and Clean Water Action have are spearheading the effort to get Shaw’s and Star Market to remove genetically engineered ingredients from their store brand products.

The UFCW, E. Mass. JwJ, Greenpeace, Clean Water Action, and the Boston Global Action Network came together under the umbrella of the JwJ Solidarity Committee to organize this rally and march. The rally was held outside the British Consulate, bringing the overarching issue of corporate globalization to the forefront of this struggle. While demostrators chanted and speakers rallied the crowd, a delegation brought the British Consul General their Workers’ and Shoppers’ Bill of Rights: to freely organize a union, to affordable health care, to purchase store brand foods free of genetic engineering, to earn a living wage, and to hold our corporations accountable to community needs. The crowd later marched to Star Market to pass out flyers about the issues. Check out www.massjwj.net/jul22pics.html to see pictures of the march and rally.

“NO THANKS” for the Fast Track Vote
In response to the passage of fast track with the support of the majority of Indiana Congress Members, Central Indiana Jobs with Justice organized an accountability action to say “NO THANKS” to the bad votes of Reps. Dan Burton and Steve Buyer. Staged outside of a Burton’s local office, trade activists lined the sidewalks and encouraged drivers to “honk if you hate NAFTA.” The event brought together CI JwJ members from the Indiana Fair Trade Campaign, Citizens Action Coalition, Teamsters, UFCW, CWA, UNITE, UAW, and OPEIU among others. Giant greeting cards were constructed for each Representative, stating “NO THANKS for your anti-environment, anti-Indiana, anti-democracy FAST TRACK ATTACK.” The accountability action was the lead-in story on the rush hour report of a local radio station, which highlighted an interview from CI JwJ member Dave Menzer. Follow-up actions are planned throughout the state, including an event at a closed GE plant near Bloomington.

Atlanta JwJ Cross-Border Solidarity!
In recent years, seven trade unionists at Coca-Cola bottling plants in Columbia have been assassinated by paramilitaries during labor negotiations. Coca-Cola will not take responsibility for the harassment and violence perpetrated against workers at Coca-Cola bottling facilities. Coca-Cola has also failed to take responsibility for the health and safety of it’s HIV positive workers in Africa, where it is the largest private employer on the continent. Across the globe Coca-Cola is putting profits before human and worker rights.

On Saturday, July 20, Atlanta JwJ helped to organize an Educational Forum on Colombia and human rights issues. The following Monday 105 Labor activists, AIDS activists, Human Rights activists, and Homeless advocates rallied at Coca-Cola’s corporate headquarters in downtown Atlanta for 2 hours. After chanting on the picketline, the group congregated in the adjacent park to hear from Kris Roehling of Amnesty International, Javier Correa, President of the Colombian Coke workers’ union; Terri Wilder of ACT-UP, Charlie Flemming of the Atlanta Labor Council; Ed Loring of the Open Door Community, and Rev. James Orange of Concerned Black Clergy. Finally, a delegation of representatives from these groups plus Teamsters 728 Overnite strikers and organizers crossed the street to serve Coca-Cola with a “warrant” for crimes against human rights. Dan Kovalik, an attorney for USWA attended the rally; he is the lead attorney for a historic lawsuit against Coca-Cola for its role in human rights violations at Coke plants in Colombia. USWA is also suing Birmingham, Alabama based Drummond Coal for its role in the assassinations of union officials in Colombia.

Check out www.atlanta.indymedia.org for more pictures from the demonstration and www.cokewatch.org for more info on Coke & Colombia. A big shout out to all the groups and activists who devoted so much time and energy to the events of July 20-22—We only had a short time to organize, but we demonstrated a whole lot of power!