SCI JwJ: The Year 2014 in Review

Submitted by jclower on

Below is a summary of the accomplishments of South Central Indiana Jobs with Justice during the past year. Please join us in 2015 to help advocate for workers and their families!

  • Immigration Reform: hosted Fast for Families and SEIU Healthcare Illinoi/Indiana/Missouri/Kansas for rally, press conference, and community discussion (Feb. 18); co-organized community education session on Pres. Obama’s executive order on immigration (Dec. 15).
  • Wage Theft: gave presentation to students at Edgewood High School (Feb. 12); helped prepare 8th-grader to give presentation to schoolmates at Project School (June 2); helped craft a wage-theft project for “Global Human Trafficking” class at Indiana University – Bloomington and spoke to the class (Sept. 8); spoke to Bloomington Human Rights Commission on their work on a Fair Labor Practices decal for local restaurants; held Workers Rights Board meetings on wage-theft case involving two local restaurant workers and helped obtain a lawyer to take their case (winter – fall).
  • Federal Minimum Wage: spoke at Monroe County Commissioners’ meeting in support of their MW resolution (March 14); continued conversations with Monroe County Women’s Commission, resulting in their resolution supporting the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 (March 14); lobbied Senator Coats’s regional director (April 10); convened meeting of local groups with Senator Donnelly’s regional director (April 14); communicated throughout the year with aides to Senators Coats and Donnelly and Congressman Young; with Democracy for Monroe County, gathered 300 petition signatures to raise minimum wage to $15/hour, sent to Coats, Donnelly, and Young.
  • Healthcare: awarded 2013 “Grinch of the Year” to Gov. Mike Pence; gathered signatures on petitions to Pence supporting Medicaid expansion (Feb. 19).
  • Private Sector Unions: facilitated conversation between musicians union—AFM Local 3—and IU’s Jumpstart program (Feb. 25); supported successful UFCW 700 unionization drive at Bloomingfoods; hosted Scott Barnett (UFCW 700 organizing director) at September monthly meeting; participated in Black Friday protest at Bloomington Walmart (Nov. 28).
  • Corporate Campaign Funding: promoted Move to Amend petitions and events.
  • Nondiscrimination: Joined public list of organizations opposed to HJR-3 (Jan. 14); supported National Day of Resistance march and die-in (Dec. 13).
  • Regional/National Networking and Outreach: co-sponsored talk by Azalia Hernandez, Fray Bartolomé Human Rights Center, (Apr. 3); participated in interpretive sign installation at Building & Trades Park in Bloomington on Workers Memorial Day (Apr. 28); marched in Bloomington’s July 4th Parade; placed Labor Day ad in Herald-Times (Aug. 31); mobilized support for Moral Mondays Indiana and its Sept. 20th march in Indianapolis; staffed Farmers Market booth (summer-fall).