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."