by DC Jobs with Justice | Apr 25, 2014 | Projects
On Thursday, DC Jobs with Justice joined UNITE HERE! Local 23 and other coalition members for a lunch time picket in support of cafeteria workers. These cafeteria workers, employed by Seasons Culinary at the National Education Association building, are currently facing a wage freeze over the next three years. Food service workers in DC have fought to win a standard that includes fair raises AND health insurance. We’re not going to let these cafeteria workers be left behind! The company, Seasons Culinary, is not meeting the standard for food service workers in this city. Here are some examples of how their proposal compares with what DC workers have at a similar cafeteria: Seasons Culinary Proposal: No raise for the next 3 years Employees would pay $187.25 per month for single health insurance DC UNITE HERE Local 23 Contract at Holocaust Museum Cafeteria: Raises of 25 cents twice a year Employees pay $53.50 a month for single health insurance on the same plan as is being proposed at...
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 DC Jobs with Justice | Jan 14, 2012 | Grassroots Leadership Education Project, Projects
by Andrew Willis Garcés and Mackenzie Baris, with contributions by many others Read previous reports: 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 rn INDEX+ 2011 SNAPSHOT + Education & Youth + Gender Justice + Police & Criminal Justice + Immigrant Rights & Language Justice+ Labor & Workers+ Housing & Development+ Budget & Community Benefits 2011 SNAPSHOT DC’S 99% PLANT SEEDS, CULTIVATE HUMAN ECONOMY Facing a perennially corrupt and ineffective local government and several years of national bank bailouts for the 1%, DC change-makers turned to each other. Grassroots projects to create a human economy took off in 2011. The two Occupy DC** encampments churned out hundreds of free, daily meals and provided basic medical care and a library for hundreds of visitors, including some who had been recently laid off or evicted. Other volunteer-run projects like DC Doulas for Choice and DC Time Bank continued to expand opportunities for a human-centered, solidarity economy.rnrnJust a few other examples: A new grassroots, all-volunteer foundation — the Diverse City Fund — distributed $45,000 to 23 organizations led by people of color, and the long-running DC Abortion Fund stepped in when Congress blocked Medicaid abortion reimbursement. Several large housing coops consolidated and began to plan to play roles in spreading coop values & housing rights. New worker and consumer cooperatives began exploratory work, like a potential Shaw food coop, a GWU coop cafe, and cooperatives of day laborers and child care workers seeking greater control over their economic lives. And collective farming projects continued to take root in neighborhoods like Edgewood. NEW YEAR, NEW MAYOR, MORE REASONS TO MOBILIZE In 2011 a new mayor took office,...
by DC Jobs with Justice | Sep 3, 2010 | Interfaith Worker Justice, Projects
This Labor Day weekend, 27 local churches will be celebrating workers and labor during their services through the Labor in the Pulpits program. Dozens of local synagogues and temples will also be celebrating workers through the Labor on the Bimah program, organized by Jews United for Justice.rnrnMany participating congregations will raise up worker justice issues during sermons and homilies, while others will offer prayers of blessing for workers or for the unemployed. Some congregations have invited guest speakers or organized special programs after services. rnrnAt McKendree-Simms Brookland UMC in DC, Kimberly Freeman Brown, Executive Director at American Rights at Work, will speak about the movement to expand the organizing rights, while at Woodside UMC in Bethesda, Chris Neif of the United Food and Commercial Workers will speak about efforts to organize Wal-Mart. rnrnAt Foundry United Methodist Church on 16th Street, Rev. Dr. Miguel de la Torre will give a guest sermon on “God, Immigration, and Work.†The special service, which will feature a blessing of day laborers, will be followed by fellowship luncheon with the Union de Trabajadores and, later in the evening, a film showing of the documentary “Igual Que Tu.â€rnrnChurch of the Pilgrim Presbyterian will be turning over their pulpit to the Rev. Phil Tom, who formerly served as the Director of Urban Ministry for the Presbyterian Church (USA), and now serves as Director of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships for the Department of Labor. rnrnThe local Labor Day weekend activities are part of the national Labor in the Pulpits/Labor on the Bimah programs. For more info, and to see resources for worship, visit the Interfaith Worker Justice...
by DC Jobs with Justice | Sep 2, 2009 | Interfaith Worker Justice, Projects
This year more than 70 area churches, synagogues, and mosques are planning special services to honor workers over Labor Day weekend as part of the annual Labor in the Pulpits, Labor on the Bimah, and Labor on the Minbar program.rnrnPlanned programs include a range of activities, including guest speakers from labor and workers’ rights organizations, special prayers, luncheons, and celebration through song. rnrnMany congregations will host workers to speak about their struggles, including day laborers speaking at Foundry UMC, Tikkum Leil Shabbat, B’nai Shalom of Olney and Shirat Hanefesh; hotel workers speaking at Culmore UMC, and domestic workers speaking at Bethesda UMC. rnrnParticipating Congregations include: rnrn * Adas Israel Congregationrn * Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregationrn* All Souls Memorial Episcopal Churchrn* All Souls Unitarian Church rn * Am Kolel Chavurarn * American University Hillelrn* Berwyn Presbyterian Churchrn * Bet Mishpachahrn * Beth Chai Jewish Humanist Congregationrn * Beth El Hebrew Congregationrn * Bethesda Jewish Congregationrn* Bethesda UMCrn * B’nai Israel Congregationrn * B’nai Shalom of Olneyrn* Church of the Ascensionrn* Church of the Pilgrims Presbyterianrn* Church of the Reformation, Lutheranrn * Congregation Adat Reyimrn * Congregation Bet Chesedrn * Congregation Beth Emethrn * Congregation B’nai Tzedekrn * Congregation Har Shalomrn * Congregation Har-Tzeon-Agudath Achimrn * Congregation Kol Amirn * Congregation Kol Shalomrn * Congregation Oseh Shalomrn * Congregation Sha’are Shalomrn* Culmore United Methodist Churchrn * DC Minyanrn * East Bank Havurahrn * Fabrangenrn* First Trinity Lutheran Churchrn* Florida Avenue Baptist Churchrn* Foundry United Methodist Churchrn * George Washington University Hillelrn* Grace Episcopal Churchrn * Kehila Chadasharn * Kehilat Shalomrn * Machar, The Washington Congregation for Secular Humanistic Judaismrn* Marvin Memorial...
