by DC Jobs with Justice | Dec 12, 2011 | Actions & Events, Campaigns, Newsletter, Press
Verizon was declared the winner of the Scrooge of the Year contest at the DC Jobs with Justice Winter Cabaret on December 10th. The Scrooge of the Year is a company or person who has done dastardly deeds to workers in Washington, D.C.. Some of the other nominees were Solanges Vivens, Liberty Maritime, Capital Grille, Daycon Products,John Hill,Governor Scott Walker, and Walmart. It was a very close race between Verizon and top competitor Walmart, but Verizon won the title with 2013 votes. Because Verizon is the Scrooge and it is the Holiday season, DC JWJ will be singing labor carols in front of Verizon Wireless stores. For more information on how you can take part in this fun action contact Lillian at 202-974-8281 or 202-542-1543, email lshelton@dclabor.org. Photo courtesy of Rachel...
by DC Jobs with Justice | Dec 1, 2011 | About, Newsletter, Press
rnDC Jobs with Justice is proud to announce that Nikki Daruwala will be joining our staff as our new Executive Director!rnrnNikki will be coming to DC JwJ from American Rights at Work, a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to promoting the freedom of workers to form unions and bargain collectively. At ARAW she directed the Socially Responsible Business Program, a program she founded six years ago. In this capacity, Nikki engaged with responsible employers, investment professionals, and academic scholars who support ethical corporate labor practices and protect workers’ rights. rnrnPrior to joining American Rights at Work, she established, led, and managed the advocacy programs and strategies at Calvert Investments, including shareholder engagements on a variety of corporate responsibility issues. Previously, she was employed by the Food and Allied Service Trades Department of the AFL-CIO and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), where she contributed to and led national advocacy campaigns to help workers gain union representation and bargaining rights. Nikki is a graduate of Ithaca College and holds an MS in industrial and labor relations from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. She is a founding member of the Child Labor Coalition, a long-time Girl Scouts leader, and currently serves on the Advisory Committee for the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) and the Board of Green America. rnrnWe are excited by the experience and vision Nikki brings to DC JwJ. Though Nikki will not officially start with us until February, you can meet her at our Winter Cabaret on Dec. 10th from 8pm to 11:30pm at St. Stephen’s Church (1525 Newton St NW) in Washington,...
by DC Jobs with Justice | Nov 2, 2009 | Newsletter
The NEWS from DC Jobs with JusticernFall 2009 rnrnIn this issue: rn*Protecting the public sector: Holding elected officials accountablern*Profile of Solidarityrn*Iraqi Labor Leaders Speak Outrn*Day Laborer Victoryrn*Hotel Worker Solidarityrnrn—————————————————rnProtecting the public sector: Holding elected officials accountablernrnWhile the scope and length of the current economic crisis is still unclear—unemployment rates are at a record high, the number of day laborers looking for work at Home Depot is growing and a quarter of DC residents are living below the poverty line– what is clear is that the Fenty administration is chipping away at our City’s safety net by selling off the public sector to private interests. This summer DC Jobs with Justice launched the Take Back DC campaign in conjunction with Empower DC, the American Federation of Government Employees and the Dominion of Cab Drivers to protect the public sector and hold elected officials accountable. rnrnPublic health is just one of the sectors on the chopping block. DC’s Addiction, Prevention and Recovery Administration shut down this month, putting hundreds of patients out on the street, as they wait for a private provider to be selected. A few months earlier, the Community Services Agency of the Department of Mental Health was also privatized. 800 patients are still not linked to providers. According to John Walker, President of AFGE Local 383, disability services are next despite opposition from the city’s Chief Financial Officer on the basis that the administration does not have the funds to privatize.rnrnThe Fenty administration has systematically ignored the City’s guidelines for privatization: workers have never received the right of first refusal as mandated; the City has been unable to...
by DC Jobs with Justice | Apr 14, 2009 | Newsletter
by DC Jobs with Justice | Oct 14, 2008 | Newsletter
rnIn this issue:rn* Public Sector Workers Under Attack. DC JwJ Stands Up, Fights Back.rn* Profiles of Solidarity: Two Leaders Who Are Helping to Build DC JwJ.rn* Gerry Brittain Education Project Launches.rn* Facing What Divides Us: Building Alliances Across Cultures.rn* Help Build the Movement for Workers’ Rights: Become a Sustainer! Visit https://secure.ga6.org/08/Dcdonate.rn rn_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________rnrnPUBLIC SECTOR WORKERS UNDER ATTACK. DC JWJ STANDS UP, FIGHTS BACK.rnrnJust days after the tragic story of Banita Jacks and her children hit DC’s media headlines, Mayor Adrian Fenty fired six social workers at the Child and Family Services Agency. The firings were carried out without an investigation. Last month, an arbitrator concluded that the workers had been fired unjustly and ordered the city to reinstate the workers with back pay and benefits. rnrnChild and Family Service is not the only city service undermined by Fenty’s high-profile scapegoating. This summer, the city announced that 60 principals and assistant principals would not be reappointed in the new school year. With no job and no access to unemployment benefits (technically they were not laid off) many administrators were forced to retire early. Simultaneously, the city fired 70 classroom aides without cause, further disrupting the academic process and creating a shortfall for this academic year.rnrnSince coming into power, Fenty’s administration has scapegoated union workers for problems which are structural in nature in an attempt to undermine the public sector and set the stage for outsourcing work and city funds to private companies . Currently, 20 percent of the city’s budget goes to contractors and this number is expected to rise. The city is paying millions of dollars to the consulting corporation...
