25 Years, 25 Stories: Dan Cross-Viola, former CEJ Staff Member and Student Leader with UB Students Against Sweatshops

In celebration of CEJ's 25th Anniversary, we are telling 25 stories through this blog, at our 25th Anniversary Awards Banquet, and with a newsletter coming out in June. CEJ has been blessed to work with so many incredible people throughout our years, and we hope to shed a light on some of their amazing stories in order to inspire us all in our continued fight for jobs with justice! This week's story comes from former CEJ staff member and student organizer with UB Students Against Sweatshops, Dan Cross-Viola who helped take CEJ's work with student coalition members to a new level! (To purchase tickets to our 25th Anniversary Awards Banquet, click here. Sponsors include: Platinum Level - WNY Area Labor Federation; 1199 SEIU; New York State United Teachers/ Silver Level - UFCW District One; IUOE Local 17; Lipsitz, Green, Scime, Cambria LLP; Fr. Joseph Bissonette Memorial Foundation, AFTRA)

"Although it was only a few months, I thoroughly enjoyed my time working as the Interim Executive Director at CEJ. As a student organizer with the UB Students Against Sweatshops, I had worked with a number of the Coaliton's partners before, but it was great to work with them in a new context, as well as meet new partners, working to deepen CEJ's relationship with them all in the process. CEJ's work around the Erie County budget crisis was a perfect example of this. In the face of extremely debilitating budget cuts, it was empowering to be a part of a strong corp of CBOs, faith organizations, unions, county officials, and local politicians, all of us united for fiscal, social, and economic responsibility. The collaborative production of Understanding the Erie County Budget Crisis and Moving Forward was an amazing experience, as was the panel discussion we organized at the Historical Society to mark the report's release. I remember standing in the back of the room during the event and feeling so proud of our ability to bring such a diverse panel together, all united around a vision for a better future. Memories like this one are what make me look back fondly on my time at CEJ. Western New York is lucky to have such a dedicated and diverse coalition consistently working with and on behalf of those our society often turns its back on. Happy 25th anniversary CEJ!"

-Dan Cross-Viola

Abrahan McKinney, CEJ Board Member and Seasonal Sanitation Worker shares his CEJ story

In celebration of CEJ's 25th Anniversary, we are telling 25 stories through this blog, at our 25th Anniversary Awards Banquet, and with a newsletter coming out in June. CEJ has been blessed to work with so many incredible people throughout our years, and we hope to shed a light on some of their amazing stories in order to inspire us all in our continued fight for jobs with justice! This week's story comes from CEJ Board Member and seasonal sanitation worker Abraham McKinney, who has fought with CEJ to win living wages for himself and other "seasonal" sanitation workers. (To purchase tickets to our 25th Anniversary Awards Banquet, click here. Sponsors include: Platinum Level - WNY Area Labor Federation; 1199 SEIU; New York State United Teachers/ Silver Level - UFCW District One; IUOE Local 17; Lipsitz, Green, Scime, Cambria LLP; Fr. Joseph Bissonette Memorial Foundation, AFTRA)

"When I think about my time with CEJ, one thing that had a big impact on me was our decision to file a lawsuit with the city. I was amazed by how quickly the city changed its tune about paying us a living wage once there was a lawsuit against them. We had been fighting for a while, had stories in the paper and events that we carried out, but they didn't want to do it. We had meetings with people including with the comptroller who said that there was nothing they could do about making the city pay us a living wage.

Then we learned CEJ could help us bring a lawsuit against the city since it was a law on the books that we should get a living wage. If they were violating the law, their own law even, then we could sue them. So three guys who I worked with -Tim, Howie, one other man, and myself decided that, "ok," we would step up and do this, we would sign on to the lawsuit. As soon as we had the lawsuit going the city immediately changed the way they were acting towards us. It was now "oh, of course we can give you the living wage", and the back pay, too. But they only gave us 5-6 months of back pay, thinking they could give us a little something and we would be quiet. But they owe us years of back pay, and we're not going to leave it alone.

For me this really showed me a lot about how they operate. If they don't think you are serious or they think you'll just go away they'll just continue to ignore you and not deal with you. You have to show them you are not playing around, like we did with the lawsuit. And then they might just give you a little something and hope that you'll just say "well I got mine" and leave it alone. But if you come together and you let them know that you're not going away then eventually they'll give you what you want."

Long Time CEJ Activist, Member, and UAW Member Ron Bassham Shares His Story

In celebration of CEJ's 25th Anniversary, we are telling 25 stories through this blog, at our 25th Anniversary Awards Banquet, and with a newsletter coming out in June. CEJ has been blessed to work with so many incredible people throughout our years, and we hope to shed a light on some of their amazing stories in order to inspire us all in our continued fight for jobs with justice! This week's story comes from our friend Ron Bassham. (To purchase tickets to our 25th Anniversary Awards Banquet, click here.)

Following the devastating blow of Hurricane Mitch in 1998, Ron Bassham, long time CEJ activist and member and a UAW member decided to respond to the disaster. The Coalition for Economic Justice and the UAW had built relationships with the residents along the border, following TriCo’s decision to move operations to Mexico. As CEJ was just coming together around the fight to save thousands of jobs at TriCo in the mid-late 1980's, CEJ's founding members visited communities where the new plan was coming on-line. They found that the workers who earned next to nothing in the factories were living in shacks side by side with the factory and the streams of waste coming from the plant. The owners of the plant gave them the empty plastic jugs that stored toxic chemicals to use for collecting rain water. Workers in Buffalo and Mexico suffered from this re-location.

In the wake of Hurricane Mitch, Ron decided to collect clothing and other donations in coordination with his local UAW Local 686 and the Coalition for Economic Justice. Ron decided to drive the van down to the border towns and personally deliver the donations. Driven by his understanding of the exploitation of industry, and the personal relationships he developed while on a fact finding mission the year before, Ron felt it was the only option he had. Not taking action was not an option. The conditions he found on arrival, Ron explained, were deplorable. The workers had very little to begin with, and the effects of the storm left them even more deprived.

Rather than stay home and watch, Ron and the Coalition for Economic Justice helped collect 8.5 tons of clothing, medicine and toys for the working brothers and sisters in northern Mexico. For Ron, this story shows the values of the Coalition for Economic Justice, and what solidarity with fellow workers is all about.

Legislator Maria Whyte Shares CEJ Memory

This year marks CEJ's 25th anniversary. To celebrate this remarkable milestone, we'll be telling 25 stories through this blog, and at our 25th Anniversary Awards Banquet on Friday, May 13th at 6:00PM. (To purchase tickets to the dinner, follow this link. Contact josh@buffalojwj.org for more banquet information.)

As many of you may know, before Maria Whyte became an Erie County Legislator, she was the Executive Director of CEJ from 2001 to 2005. When asked to share her favorite memory of her time at CEJ, she recalled a letter from Richard Lipsitz sr. ESQ that was written to then current president, George W. Bush. The Coalition for Economic Justice and Maria Whyte were cc’d on the letter. In addition Mr. Lipsitz also enclosed his annual membership to CEJ.

The letter read:

Dear President Bush:

Perhaps you would be interested in learning how our $600 tax rebate was spent by my wife and me.

$300 was sent to the Coalition for Economic Justice, a not-for-profit engaged in advancing the well being of workers and $300 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Hopefully , this will not disappoint you. Needless to say, they are not intended to help your re-election.

Sincerely,

Richard Lipsitz