CEJ goes to ONE NATION WORKING TOGETHER rally in Washington, DC

On Saturday October 2nd, tens of thousands of energized people demanding jobs, education, and civil rights for ALL Americans gathered at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for the “One Nation Working Together” march and rally. The rally, which carried the message of putting America back to work, pulling America back together, and moving America forward, attracted people from all 50 states and over 400 diverse organizations focusing on a variety of issues such as immigration reform, demands for jobs and education, LGBTQ rights, and an end to war spending. Among some of the organizations present were AFL-CIO, NAACP, UAW, SEIU, International ANSWER, Farm Labor Organizing Committee, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and Jobs with Justice. “One Nation” organizers estimated that the rally drew a massive crowd of over 175,000 people.

A Buffalo Jobs with Justice Delegation was in attendance, along with several other organizations from Western New York including Citizen Action, United University Professions from UB, NYSUT, and American Federation of Teachers. The bus that held the Buffalo Jobs with Justice Delegation left from Buffalo on a cold and rainy Friday night at 11:00pm, transporting a cohort of 60 people. The Coalition for Economic was made up of a group of 30 strong, including several students from Buffalo State Students for Peace. Despite the weather, there was buzz and excitement in the air as individuals boarded the bus.

Although it was a long night of travelling, once the bus arrived at RFK Stadium parking lot everyone became energetic and excited for the day’s upcoming events. Before going to the main event, the Buffalo Jobs with Justice Delegation attended a pre-rally hosted by the IAM’s Union of Unemployed. Participants heard encouraging speeches by Communication Workers of America (CWA) President Larry Cohen, IAM President Tom Buffenbarger, and our national affiliate, Jobs with Justice Executive Director Sarita Gupta. These speakers spoke about the importance of job creation and of citizens voting on November 2nd to ensure their voices are heard. From speeches and chants, an energized crowd got on the metro to the National Mall.

Upon arrival, it was clear that there was a massive presence in Washington as thousands of demonstrators converged on the National Mall with signs stipulating “Full & Fair Employment for All” and “Money for Jobs and Education.” It was inspiring to see so many organizations joining together from many diverse backgrounds, demanding change in our nation. Although several organizations voiced different issues and presented different tactics to accomplish their missions, all of these organizations were able to unite under the call of “One Nation.” This was clearly a rich opportunity for activists from all over the country to build networks which will hopefully lead to some exciting collaborative work in the future.

More inspiring speakers waited for rally participants at the National Mall. Speakers included some heavy hitters from the civil rights movement such as Reverend Al Sharpton and Harry Belafonte, along with union organizers, like Richard Trumka, head of the AFL-CIO. Student organizers committed to social justice, such as Colin Whited a deaf student activist, also offered motivational words about the state of education and the jobs crisis.

The following are some words that attendees found especially powerful from Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children’s Defense Fund and former advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King:

“Lesson six—almost done—remember that the Ark was built by amateurs, the Titanic was built by professionals. Use your citizen power, your vote, to wrest our ship of state from that small group of experts and powerful and greedy corporate pirates who recklessly jeopardized all of our lives for personal gain. Feel your own power. Use your own power. Don’t rely on experts.”

Marian Wright Edelman’s words convey an important message that the Buffalo Jobs with Justice Delegation carried back to Buffalo. In our own community, we need to be aware of the so-called “experts,” who are making decisions for us and without our input. Marian Wright Edelman’s words not only encourage questioning the role of these “experts”, but also challenge us to ask ourselves, “How can we use our power to change this and get our voices heard?” In a time when so many Americans feel powerless, when the state of the economy feels unmanageable, and when we are presented with so many unique problems in our own city, Marian Wright Edelman reminds us that as citizens we do hold the power to make change. These inspiring words, along with the rest of those who spoke, will hopefully resonate in the actions of those around the country as they return home and get back to work in their communities.

-Katie and Sarah, MSW Student Interns

A broken job creation tool where millionaire developers rule

Big tax breaks for corporations that don’t produce jobs… Public subsidies for million-dollar luxury condos… Influence-peddling by politically-connected businesses…

Sadly, that just about sums up the sorry state New York’s job creation programs. While everyday New Yorkers struggle to find a job and pay the bills and small businesses try to keep their heads above water, our state’s main job creation programs are favoring corporate giveaways over smart investments that could create quality jobs and get our economy back on track.

This week, the New York Daily News reported that Gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino is fighting to hold on to a $1.4 million tax break for a company that created only one job and put back into the economy less than it took out. Paladino could be the poster child for what's wrong with so-called economic development in New York. His companies have received millions in IDA subsidies. He successfully lobbied to change Empire Zone boundaries, established to generate jobs and economic growth in areas with high poverty and unemployment, in order to collect tax breaks on a waterfront luxury condominium development. As a result, he was able to avoid paying $875,000 in sales taxes and the buyers of the million-dollar condos will enjoy more than $5 million in property tax breaks over the next 10 years.

But he's not alone. As we recently documented, New York's biggest job creation program handed out $135 million of your tax dollars to companies that created no jobs or actually cut them. Fortunately, state political leaders recently wised up and eliminated the wasteful and much-abused Empire Zone program. But IDAs, now the largest job creation tool in the state, have been allowed to maintain the status quo.

Let's send a message to all state candidates that we won't stand for an unaccountable job creation program that pads the pockets of millionaires instead of delivering the good jobs we need:

Sign our petition to reform IDAs today!

Tell the Buffalo Bills to Respect Westin Hotel Workers

As fans of workers' rights, and fair wages and working conditions, take a moment to send a message to the Buffalo Bills and tell them to respect the boycott of the Westin Hotel in Providence. Workers at the Westin called for a boycott after their employer imposed 20% wage cuts and tripled their health care costs. Ask the Bills to avoid patronizing this hotel during their upcoming game in New England. Tell them not to eat, sleep or meet at the Westin Hotel until this labor dispute is resolved.

Background:

In March the employees of the Westin Providence hotel voted 138-2 to boycott the hotel because of unfair labor practices.

The General Counsel of the National Labor Relation Board has authorized a massive complaint against the Westin Hotel. The NLRB in Washington D.C found merit in the Union’s charges against the Westin’s March 11, 2010 imposition of 20% wage cuts, tripling of health care cost, and subcontracting that cost 50 union workers their jobs.

We need your help, so we ask that you do not eat, sleep or meet at the Westin Hotel.

The employees of the Westin Providence have received an incredible outpouring of support from the Providence community and from around the country. You can read some of the great press on the boycott here:

http://www.projo.com/video/?nvid=414110

http://www.projo.com/news/content/HOTEL_BOYCOTT_05-27-10_OJIKVC1_v15.89a56c7.html

http://www.projo.com/video/news-index.html?nvid=414300

AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) Appeals for Support

Many of you are familiar with the work of WIVB - TV, News Channel 4. Journalists at the station have asked for support in their struggle for a fair contract. Quality journalism remains an important aspect of our democratic society, thus we feel that journalists should be adequately compensated. We are posting an appeal that was sent to us by the folks at WIVB-TV, and at the end of the appeal, there is information about a rally being held this Thursday, 9/23, at 12:00 noon at 2077 Elmwood, where the WIVB station is located.


An Appeal to Maintain Quality Standards in Western NY

As the anchors and reporters of WIVB-TV, Channel 4, we are proud to work for Buffalo’s number one local news station. We work hard every day to gather and deliver the news that matters to our community. We are members of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA, AFL-CIO), and we need your support in our struggle to get a fair contract that ensures quality journalism.

We are the top Buffalo news station precisely because of our ability to attract and retain the top journalists in our market. We want to ensure that the stories we produce in the future are based on meticulous investigative reporting and production. The owners of WIVB-TV − Rhode Island-based LIN Media − want to make drastic changes in the way news is reported and to the wages and working conditions of its employees. LIN wants to decide how stories are produced without input from professional journalists. In addition, they want to cut some employees’ pay by as much as 30% and to deny pay increases over the life of the contract, even though they are doing very well financially.

Our last collective bargaining agreement with WIVB-TV expired on September 30, 2008. We negotiated with management in a good faith effort to reach a new agreement until December 2009, when management declared an impasse, ceased bargaining with us and simply implemented their last contract proposal. They have already raised the cost of our health insurance and stopped contributing to our retirement accounts.

If the corporation was simply trying to save money, why did the top five executives at LIN Media receive more than $550,000 in bonuses last year? We believe they are attempting to cut costs by penalizing those who have helped the station achieve its number one ranking, even as its top executives line their own pockets. In addition, we believe their destructive changes in the newsroom will result in a decline in the quality news reporting that has made WIVB-TV an award-winning local news station. If WIVB-TV is going to maintain high standards and continue to bring the quality news reporting our region has come to expect, we need your help.

As professional news reporters and anchors, we cannot agree to LIN Media’s changes without reasonable protections that allow us to continue to safely and responsibly deliver the news. We are fighting to keep quality news in our community and we need your support to achieve this goal.

PLEASE JOIN US AT OUR RALLY at NOON (12pm)

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23

WIVB STATION, 2077 ELMWOOD AVENUE, BUFFALO

HELP US SEND A MESSAGE TO LIN MEDIA THAT
QUALITY JOURNALISM MATTERS TO WESTERN NY

Mott’s Workers Achieve Victory with Ratification of New Contract

As you may recall, over 300 Mott’s workers in Williamson, NY went on strike on May 23, 2010, due to unfair requests that the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) was making in regards to the workers’ new contracts. DPS was looking to reduce wages and benefits and was making attempts to break their union, Retail, Wholesale, and Department Stores Workers (SWDSU) Local 220.

Yesterday, these workers found victory with the ratification of a new contract. Through their hard work and tremendous popular support, Mott’s workers have a new contract that restores their current wage levels and continues defined-benefit plans. Mott’s workers will be returning to work on Monday, September 20, 2010, knowing that they were able to stand up for themselves, take action for and achieve what they know is right, and were able to show that there is strength in numbers.

Furthermore, this strike demonstrates that good jobs are important and worth fighting for, and that companies should not try to reverse labor standards that have been set in place. If corporations try to reduce workers’ standard of living, it is important to recall this strike and numerous actions before it, take example and stand strong and united in face of injustice.