by DC Jobs with Justice | Aug 4, 2021 | Actions & Events, Campaigns, Projects
On Tuesday, the DC Council held the final vote on funding in the DC budget. DC Jobs With Justice is proud to have led and supported campaigns for working families in this year’s budget process. Although we had mixed results, we continue to center the power, value, and voices of DC’s workers throughout all of our campaigns and appreciate all workers and allies who fought together. Wins: $41 million for Excluded Workers: DC JWJ has led on the campaign to win funding for Excluded Workers since the very first days of the COVID crisis. This win is our largest so far, three times more than we won in all of 2020. Excluded Workers including cash economy workers, undocumented workers, and returning citizens. They will be able to access these funds through the low-barrier DC CARES program. Learn more on the Excluded Worker twitter. Strengthening Paid Family Leave. Having supported DC’s paid family leave program from advocacy through implementation, DC JWJ was disappointed to see the initial budget undermined the strength of the program and the dedicated funding. We were part of the coalition that fought back with a demand of not just to preserving the program, but actually making it stronger. Now the Paid Family Leave program includes more time for individuals who need to care for themselves, many program improvements, and the opportunity to expand benefits. Read more about the changes we helped win here: https://www.dcpaidfamilyleave.org/updates/vote-statement Losses: Hero Pay: Sadly not all of our campaigns won. The Heroes Pay Act introduced by Councilmember Elissa Silverman would have paid essential workers a one-time Hero Pay bonus for working during the pandemic....
by DC Jobs with Justice | Jul 9, 2021 | Projects
Last week the Council voted to eliminate Hero Pay from the budget! Only Councilmembers Silverman, Nadeau, and Lewis George stood with essential workers and supported the bill. Please use the script below to call your ward councilmember. Please note that if you councilmember’s name is in pink, underlined and in italics then please use script 2, if their name is not purple use script 1. Script 1 Hello, my name is [NAME] and I’m a [DC / WARD X] resident [and member of X union and/or essential worker if applicable]. I am calling to express my disappointment in your vote against enacting and fully funding Hero Pay for essential workers. Essential workers risked their lives by working through a deadly pandemic and they deserve far more than empty praise. I strongly encourage you to prioritize finding funding to restore the Heroes Pay Act during the second vote on the Budget Request Act on Tuesday. [If you’d like, share an anecdote about why Hero Pay for essential workers is important to you personally, if you are an essential worker you can share about your experience working during the pandemic] Script 2 for Silverman, Nadeau and Lewis George Hello, my name is [NAME] and I’m a [DC / WARD X] resident [and member of X union and/or essential worker if applicable] and I wanted to thank you for your vote in support of Hero Pay at the July 13th Committee of the Whole meeting! Call ALL the at-large council members and the chair Elissa Silverman At-Large (202) 724-7772 Anita Bonds At-Large (202) 724-8064 Christina Henderson At-Large (202) 724-8105 Robert C....
by DC Jobs with Justice | Feb 17, 2021 | Actions & Events
Download this description here. Overview DC Jobs With Justice (DC JWJ) is a coalition of labor unions, community organizations, faith institutions, and student organizations dedicated to protecting and advancing the rights of working people in the DC metropolitan area. DC JWJ has helped win a precedent-setting minimum wage increase in DC, as well as led various campaigns to hold large corporations accountable to DC communities. In the past we have worked on a range of issues, from labor law to health care; from union organizing campaigns to immigrant rights. Please see www.dcjwj.org for more information. DC JWJ is seeking an Organizing Director to oversee staff as well as manage a limited portfolio of campaign responsibilities. The ideal candidate has experience managing organizers and will excel at supporting their leadership as well as developing and implementing strategic campaigns. This person will be a team player, excited about the role of unions and coalitions in social change, and committed to justice in Washington, DC. This position will report directly to the Executive Director of DC Jobs With Justice. Job Responsibilities Staff management: (50% of time) Provide direct supervision to DC JWJ’s 4 organizing staff to support leadership development, campaign development, work planning and activities. Campaigns: Coordinate and facilitate coalition campaigns to promote economic, racial, and social justice in Washington, DC by working with members and allies to develop campaign strategy and plans. Grants management: Monitor grant spending and track staff activities relative to grant deliverables. Required Qualifications: Two or more years managing staff Outstanding leadership skills and the ability to connect with and build effective teams of diverse partners across...
by DC Jobs with Justice | Jan 21, 2021 | Actions & Events
Excluded workers finally can access real assistance thanks to their hard work and advocacy during the excluded worker campaign. Despite delays, applicants can begin to apply for assistance Monday, January 25th and will be accessible at http://dccares2021.org. Over 8,000 residents will receive $1,000 gift cards (with the ability to access cash withdrawals) to sustain them through this ongoing emergency. For more information you can access guides here: English: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qYDmLEbzk8JlwBagbxj3YEYv3C004uTl/view?usp=sharing Spanish: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Lb6E-iJzpk-eGM0-nK4tSJFiXYX2fL3m/view?usp=sharing Who is eligible for assistance Residents excluded from Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA): • Qualifying Returning Citizens released from custody on or after March 11, 2020 • Informal/cash economy workers: day laborers, domestic workers, street vendors, and other cash economy workers • Undocumented workers or immigrants without Employment Authorization (EAD) Get ready to apply Step 1: Review your eligibility • Qualifying returning citizens released from custody on or after March 11, 2020 • Informal/cash economy workers ineligible for UI/PUA • Undocumented residents ineligible for UI/PUA • Unsure? Apply and a DC CARES representative will review your eligibility Step 2: Gather your documents • A photo ID with name and Date of Birth • Proof of DC Residency • Eligibility Documents by category (see guide for more details) • Your Updated Contact Information (phone, email) Step 3: Apply online or by phone starting Monday, January 25 • Visit www.DCCARES2021.org or call 202-332-1264 • Website and phone are English/Spanish bilingual • For other languages, please apply by phone • General Inquiries: info@dccares2021.org None of the organizations who previously processed assistance are accepting applications, all applications must be sent through the above options. Please direct all questions there....
by DC Jobs with Justice | Jan 7, 2021 | Actions & Events
DC JWJ Statement on Attack on United States Capitol Yesterday’s events were despicable and nothing short of an attack on the will of the people and democracy. We at DC JWJ are not only disgusted by yesterday’s attack on our capitol, but stand with the workers and community members that had to spend dozens of hours cleaning up the aftermath of this attack by hate groups. We stand with the cleaning staff, the public services workers, hotel workers, retail workers, essential workers that were placed in danger’s way last night. We applaud the local unions who worked to ensure their members were safe. Far too many workers were forced to work despite a clearly unsafe situation. This demonstrates yet again that every worker deserves a union as it is the only thing standing between them and the arbitrary decisions of their employers. We would also like to take a moment to acknowledge and respect the Black and Brown communities affected by yesterday’s demonstration of racism and anti-democratic authoritarianism. For months we have witnessed police brutality against our Black and Brown communities as they were seeking justice of the countless violations of human rights. To see what happened yesterday and the complicit police response is yet another indictment of the former administration and foundational racism we have seen in policing across the country. As an organization committed to protecting its residents, we call on our Labor, Faith, Community and Youth organizations to come together and protect one another. To continue to arouse, organize and mobilize our communities for a more just city and nation....
