NEWS

Continuing the Dream: Organizing for Local Justice in 2008
Compiled by Andrew Willis Garcés and Mackenzie Baris
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The DC Workers’ Union (Union de Trabajadores de Washington DC) celebrated its annual end of the year party last Thursday at Foundry United Methodist Church. Over 80 day laborers, volunteers and DC JwJ allies came together to break bread, share culture and music, celebrate recent victories and the elect a new leadership.
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It’s official! After a long struggle workers at Smithfield Packing in Tar Heel, NC finally won union recognition. Tar Heel’s 5,500 Smithfield workers paid a high cost for a voice on the job. They faced poverty wages, brutal working conditions, crippling injuries, intimidation, racism and violence. But last week, after years of struggle, workers were granted the right to vote for a union and chose the United Food and Commercial Workers to represent them.
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On Friday December 5th, the workers of Republic Windows and Doors, members of UE Local 1110, occupied their factory, which was due to close at 10:00 AM. Republic Windows and Doors was forced to close after Bank of America, just weeks after taking $25 Billion in bailout money, tu
ed its back on hundreds of workers making energy efficient doors and windows in Chicago by refusing to continue credit to the company.Get informed, get involved, get plugged in.

Catastrophe, intimidation, terror. These were common words used to describe DC Mayor Adrian Fenty’s two years in office by over a dozen speakers at Thursday’s Workers’ Rights Board (WRB) hearing. The hearing – which took place at the John A. Wilson Building to a standing-room only crowd of hundreds of residents, workers and activists – was held to examine Mayor Fenty’s assault on DC public sector workers and proposals to cut public services.
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