by DC Jobs with Justice | Mar 15, 2016 | Projects
Hey there! My name is Bria Wade and I’m currently a freshman at Georgetown University from New Jersey majoring in African American Studies and minoring in Women and Gender Studies. I’m the new intern with DC Jobs With Justice and I’m extremely excited to be working with the amazing team and organization this semester! I had no idea what to expect when I arrived for my first day working with DC JWJ because I truly didn’t have a firm grasp on what organizing was. Since then, I have learned so much from the people I work with and going out and doing the work in places like Columbia Heights and Union Station. Although it can be disheartening at times because of the nature of outreach, I have been able to see the magnitude of impact that organizing has on the lives of retail workers in DC. The work that I have done so far has inspired me to become more involved with worker justice. I started working when I was twelve years old in order to assert my independence and make money for myself so that my parents would have to contribute less to getting me the things that I needed. I have maintained a steady job ever since and throughout my time working in the food industry (McDonald’s), I noticed several things about the way things were run that didn’t sit well with me. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until this past summer that I became aware of organizations that work specifically to address injustices faced by workers all over the country. My firsthand experience in conjunction with my passion...
by DC Jobs with Justice | Aug 6, 2014 | Actions & Events, Press
After Tito’s workers stood up against wage theft, massive amounts of unpaid overtime, and exploitation based on immigration status, their employer responded with illegal firings and by threatening to call ICE. Finally, after a year of organizing with International Union of Painters and Allied Trades they had their first hearing at the NLRB on those complaints on August 4, 2014. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Vice President of AFL-CIO Tefere Gebre and others joined the workers for a speakout today in front of the NLRB. DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton stated, “You have courage. Don’t lose it; you are going to win!” Tefere Gebre, AFL-CIO Executive Vice President said that “For every one of you there are tens of thousands of workers who are afraid to stand up. Keep on fighting, keep on working!” Thanks to DC Employment Justice Center, Washington DC Building and Construction Trades Council @National Guestworker Alliance Congress of Day Laborers/Congreso de Jornaleros, the delegation of New Orleans construction workers, and all our allies who joined us in solidarity with these workers! Everyone deserves just treatment, regardless of their...
by DC Jobs with Justice | Jun 29, 2014 | Actions & Events
More than 10% of local DC cab drivers were in the streets on June 25 with the Teamsters to express frustrations at unfair regulations. http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2014/06/teamster-taxi-drivers-get-washingtons.html The regulations applied to their industry (to protect drivers and riders) are not required of Uber/Lyft/Sidecar, giving them a big advantage. Last year, the city gave the services an extension to operate until regulations were in place.The extension ended several months ago but the city failed to enact fair regulations. Taxi drivers are not against these services,Teamsters are even trying to organize Uber and Lyft drivers in California and Seattle. Drivers simply want to be on the same playing field.Roughly 1,000 cabs lined the street in front of the City Council and many supporters gathered in Freedom Plaza. Union President Ferline Buie delivered a letter to City Hall making the case that the rules governing online cab services were unfair to traditional drivers. Taxi drivers have protested across the country and now Washington needs to take its taxi drivers...
by DC Jobs with Justice | Jan 21, 2014 | Actions & Events, Campaigns
In case you missed it: DC Jobs with Justice, Respect DC and a large, diverse coalition of workers, community organizations, labor unions, faith groups, and businesses won two historic victories for workers’ rights in the District. After years of pushing for living wages for all workers (and specifically at Walmart) and expanding paid sick days to all workers, both campaigns came to an sudden, successful end in December of 2013. Starting in July of this year, the DC minimum wage will climb annually until it reaches $11.50 per hour, and will rise with the cost of living thereafter. And several years after DC became one of the first jurisdictions in the country to pass a paid sick leave law, the Paid Sick Days campaign was able to remove several exclusionary loopholes. What a way to end the year for working families in the District! Stay tuned for more updates as we ensure these laws get funded, go properly enforced, and become public knowledge. See here for an in-depth look at what these two bills offer for workers, courtesy of the DC Employment Justice...
by dcjwjeditor | Mar 7, 2013 | Actions & Events, Immigrant Rights, Projects, Trabajadores Unidos de DC / United Workers of DC, Wage Theft
Chants of “la lucha – sí, la lucha – sí” (the struggle -yes, the struggle – yes) echoed off the DC Council chamber walls as more than 50 workers and community activists packed the Wilson Building on Monday, March 4th to demand more protections for workers against wage theft. DC Jobs with Justice, United Workers of DC, and the DC Wage Theft Coalition accompanied workers as they presented Councilmember Marion Barry with a giant paper bill for outstanding unpaid wages. The bill totaled more than $260,000, yet only represented the wage theft claims of about 40 workers, a small number of the many more victimized by wage theft in Washington, DC. Pledging to seek justice for the workers, Councilmember Barry quoted Frederick Douglass: “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never has and it never will.” With that, the group filed into the performance oversight hearing for the Department of Employee Services. Witness after witness testified about the inability of the Office of Wage-Hour to protect workers who struggle to recover their rightfully owed wages. United Workers of DC President Carlos Castillo explained, “Without significant changes, going to the Office of Wage-Hour to file claims often becomes a waste of time, of money, and of opportunity to find a good option for daily work for a day laborer.” Moved by this and the many other testimonies from workers and advocates, Councilmember Barry vowed to investigate the workers’ claims, to explore new resources, systems, and funding for the Office of Wage-Hour, and to consider proposing legislation to protect workers against wage theft. Coming off a tremendous victory at popular Georgetown restaurants,...
