by DC Jobs with Justice | Sep 25, 2017 | About, Get Involved
DC Jobs With Justice Seeks Lead Organizer 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 a Lead Organizer to lead the organization’s campaigns and programmatic work. The ideal candidate will excel at developing and implementing strategic campaigns, building and maintaining relationships, and building consensus among diverse stakeholders with different priorities to enable effective work together on a common goal. 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. This position is part of the IFPTE Local 70 bargaining unit and subject to the provisions of the union contract. Job Responsibilities: Campaigns: Lead strategic coalition campaigns to promote economic, racial, and social justice in Washington, DC. Coordinate and facilitate coalition campaigns by working with members and allies to develop campaign strategy and plans. Convene coalition meetings on a regular basis to develop campaign strategy Oversee strategy implementation among coalition members Mobilize and develop infrastructure to support ongoing activities Assess and develop campaigns targeting bad...
by DC Jobs with Justice | Mar 4, 2015 | Get Involved, Wage Theft
Reposted from Georgetown Kalmanovitz Initiative Blog My time with the Kalmanovitz Initiative Summer Organizing internship not only let me grow as a person but also use that growth to make deeper connections with DC workers and organizers. I am humbled to have worked with so many passionate people that really care about other people and their struggle. I was placed with DC Jobs with Justice, “a dynamic coalition of labor organizations, community groups, faith-based organizations, and student groups dedicated to protecting the rights of working people and supporting community struggles to build a more just society.” At least that’s how I have learned to describe it to other people, but to me, DC JWJ became a wake up call. I worked on DC JWJ’s anti-wage theft campaign. DC previously passed legislation to increase the minimum wage and extend paid sick days, which were huge victories for DC workers. During my time at DC JWJ, the DC City Council also passed the strongest anti-wage theft law in the country. I sat in the Wilson building for six hours just to hear them pass the bill. Though I have never been so incredibly bored in my entire life, it was a moment of clarity and it is something that I have recently reflected on. I was there to support these workers whom I had started building a relationship with, but I see now that my presence was small. The workers and the organizers had devoted so much of their time, and they had built a unique relationship in solidarity with each other. They had spent hours upon hours not just sitting...
by dcjwjeditor | Jun 11, 2013 | Get Involved, Projects
ABOUT THE BOOK We Are The Clash is a book-in-progress that excavates the often-dismissed last two years of The Clash, after the controversial ejection of Mick Jones and Topper Headon from the band. The book challenges existing interpretations of this period, resurrecting the dramatic last stand of one of the few rock bands that truly mattered. This was a moment where the band’s struggles with punk ideals, Top Ten success, addiction, and personal/musical differences crashed head-on into a rising wave of right-wing power. In the process, a hopeful but ultimately heartbreaking tale played out, bringing an end not only to The Clash as a band but an entire era of political and economic struggle, and setting the stage for our world’s present challenges. WHY THIS BOOK Much of this story has been simply airbrushed out of the official Clash histories, and skimmed over in the more popular independent accounts. Two important works on this period, Out of Control (by Vince White) and The Rise and Fall of The Clash (by Danny Garcia) do exist. However, neither does what we are attempting here: going past autobiography or “Behind the Music”-style reportage, to dig deeper, taking a searching look at the band’s last years, placing its story in the proper historical, artistic, and political context. This version of The Clash, after all, played more than 120 shows, and wrote nearly two dozen new songs, including some of the most poignant social protest/commentary marking this turning point in British–and international–history. This was when Thatcher broke the back of the National Union of Mineworkers, Reagan brought the world to the brink of nuclear...
by dcjwjeditor | Dec 7, 2012 | Guest Blog, Immigrant Rights, Trabajadores Unidos de DC / United Workers of DC, Wage Theft
Guest Blog Post from Barbra A. Kavanaugh December 4, 2012 Everyone knows what theft is, but I am constantly surprised by how few people know what “wage theft” is. Simply put, wage theft is when employers refuse to pay employees the wages they have earned, either by denying them the minimum wage, overtime or frequently, simply not paying them at all. Every week, more than two-thirds of low-wage workers experience at least one incident of wage theft. At a time when many Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, for many of the clients we see, even just one incident of wage theft can result in unpaid rent, car repossession or homelessness. One of the most common ways that employers steal wages is by misclassifying their employees as independent contractors to avoid paying the legally required minimum wage and overtime pay. Workers who are wrongly labeled as independent contractors are cheated of many of the legal protections afforded to employees – including minimum wage and overtime. No matter what an employer calls a worker, the law determines whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor. Although there is no hard and fast rule, the more control an employer has over the circumstances of a worker’s employment, the more likely it is that the worker should be considered an employee, and not an independent contractor. For example, if an employer controls the hours that someone works, where they work and provides their equipment, that person is not likely to be an independent contractor. Too often, employers take advantage of workers’ ignorance on this issue, and deny rightful wages, overtime, breaks,...
by DC Jobs with Justice | Nov 25, 2012 | Campaigns, Get Involved, Injured Worker Advocate
Over 2,000 injured D.C. government employees go through the Public Sector Workers Compensation Program each year. Disability benefits are intended to give injured government workers financial security when injured on the job and help them pay their medical care, rent, and other basic necessities. Unfortunately, due to a decade of poor administration an noncompliance, formerly middle-class injured workers have been driven into poverty. The D.C. Council should act immediately and pass legislation to: Restore the great weight afforded to the opinions of treating physicians to ensure accurate medical assessments of injuries Provide that injured workers will not lose disability compensation while they are navigating the administrative process Enable compensation for mental stress or emotional conditions suffered by workers as a result of their injuries Protect workers with injuries that last longer than 500 weeks, but are still classified as “temporary” rather than “permanent” Bring the compensation program back “in house” rather than contracting with a company that profits at the expense of workers Take Action >>> Sign the...
by DC Jobs with Justice | Nov 7, 2012 | Actions & Events, Get Involved, Projects
Wednesday, November 14, 2012 4:00 – 7:00 PM* THEARC Theater 1901 Mississippi Avenue SE *Please note that this time is earlier than was originally announced. Last Chance to Raise Your Voice in DC’s Housing Strategy Mayor Gray has created a Comprehensive Housing Strategy Task Force to help him define a vision for housing in DC from now until 2020. On November 14, the Task Force will hold their last public hearing. Who knows better what DC needs than its residents? This is your time to come out and tell the Task Force what you’re experiencing and what you think DC needs to do. If you would like to testify, please contact contact Allison Ladd at (202) 777-1634 or aladd@dchfa.org, and give your name, organizational affiliation, and title of organization by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 9, 2012. If you need sign language interpretation or language interpretation, please let her know when you up to testify. You can see all the details here. Questions? Comments? Need help writing testimony? Contact Elizabeth Falcon, Campaign Organizer, at efalcon@cnhed.org or 202-745-0902 ext....
