Campaign Update: IL Governors Race

Today, Union Summer Chicago stood with our brothers and sisters from Interfaith Worker Justice, Jobs for Justice, Latino Union, IL Pro-Choice Action Team, and others to protest GOP Gubernatorial candidate, Bill Brady. Over the weekend, Mr. Brady made it known that he believes that minimum wage should be lowered in Illinois by an entire dollar. This is unacceptable! Union Summer took to the front lines and rallied outside the restaurant Brady was speaking in.

Over and over this summer, I have seen the importance of earning a living wage. It is important for families trying to put food on the table by staying above the poverty line, it important for young people who face some of the highest rates of unemployment and underemployment, and it is important for women, who already meet the issue of pay inequity every day. Because of this importance, minimum wage should NOT be decreased. Decreasing minimum wage by a dollar would place undue burden and hardship on individuals who work hard every day to provide for themselves and their families.

For more information, you can go to WhoisBillBrady.com and see for yourself!

Campaign Update: Paul Drake

(Check, check... Is this thing on?)

GREETINGS. My name is Paul Drake, and I'm stoked to be back in Chi-town for some solid labor this summer. I'm nearing the end of my seminary education, which has been animated by the vision of economic justice, something that has proved so elusive throughout history, even in this "land of opportunity."

Or at least that's our self-image. Scratch beneath the surface, and it is clear that opportunity favors those strong enough to secure its blessings, often at the expense of the weak.

The past few days I have been able to learn about this first-hand from AFSCME organizers as I rode with them on their visits to workers of a local troubled youth facility. Some workers reached out to AFSCME when they became fed up with management's refusal to correct dangerous and unfair policies. Policies largely in place because they save the company money.

Of course, the company claims economic hardship, but open up their books (which anyone can do since it's a non-profit), and you will see that it is not rough for everyone: the same execs who claim the company is barely staying afloat have seen their already sizable salaries multiply over the past several years, meanwhile, employees' wages have fallen. You see, when the facility takes on more troubled (read: dangerous) youth, the facility gets more money from the government. But the execs neither have to work with these youth, nor do they spend the funds on proper training of staffing or on pay increases for the staff who actually do work with the youth. (Wait, didn't someone say this was a non-profit?) Needless to say, the turnover rate for frontline workers is very high.

This gross disparity in wages, job security, and safety, along with the lies, and the ability to enforce them are a common story of the power imbalance that exists between workers and managers. And as I have learned from my time with the AFSCME organizers, labor laws afford often workers little recourse since they lack serious punitive teeth, meaning that employers often find it more worthwhile to break the law and take the slap on the wrist (ESPECIALLY when it comes to respecting workers' right to organize to secure a meaningful voice!).

The organizers I've ridden with both became union organizers because they experienced similar scenarios, with management taking away their livelihood simply because they could. Now they're all in, helping others take it to the man. It this dynamic that has called me to invest in the labor movement.

I'm very much looking forward to learning how to amplify workers' voice, in the workplace, in society, and with lawmakers. I've got a great team here in Chicago, and I'm plan on making some waves with them.

Campaign Update: Wal-Mart

Hello, Maddie here with an update on the battle over Wal-Mart on Chicago's South Side. Community leaders and city officials have been negotiating with Wal-Mart over opening a new store in the Pullman neighborhood (home to our fellow intern, Anthony). This area is referred to as a 'food desert', meaning there is limited access to grocery stores for people who live in the community. Residents often drive 20+ minutes away to get groceries, sometimes even to the Wal-Mart on Chicago's West Side, the city's first. Because of this and the high level of unemployment in this community, there has been a large push for the Pullman Wal-Mart to open. The city, too, looking to reap the benefits of additional tax revenue in the midst of this recession (and a state budget in shambles), has supported this initiative.

On the other hand, labor and community leaders have concerns over this Wal-Mart. For one thing, Wal-Mart has a history of wage and hour violations, including the largest class-action civil rights lawsuit in US history (Dukes v. Wal-Mart, a gender discrimination case). Because the cost of living is so high in Chicago (what with taxes and lack of affordable housing), there is also a concern about workers being paid a 'living wage', which according to federal estimates should be $11.03/hr (as the wage for a full-time worker, this would put a family of four at the poverty line). Wal-Mart has, in the past, been known to hire many part-time workers and has even been accused of (and sued for) altering employee time cards to keep them under 40 hours per week. The concern that comes out of this is whether the people of Pullman will be given the full-time jobs they are expecting to sustain their families and keep them in their homes.

This past Thursday (6/24/10), the city council met to vote on zoning the area in Pullman where the Wal-Mart is to be built. A compromise was drawn that workers will be paid $8.75/hr, with a guaranteed raise of $0.40-0.60 within a year of hiring. Workers will be hired from the local community and there will be an estimated 700 new jobs as a result of the Wal-Mart opening. Construction of the building will also be contracted out to union workers.

See Charles Thomas' report (ABC7 Chicago) on the council meeting: http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=7519129&pid=7518177

See also this article on Wal-Mart's tactics in conveying "community support" for its stores: http://chicagoist.com/2010/01/26/wal-mart_using_fake_community_group.php

Campaign Update: Anthony Scorzo

Hello, everyone. My name is Anthony Scorzo. I was born and raised on the far southside of Chicago, specifically the Pullman neighborhood. I am a die-hard White Sox fan and am truly committed to the labor movement and workers' rights. I am an I.B.E.W. Local 134 member and am currently not working. I started my I.B.E.W. apprenticeship in 2004 and graduated as a Communications Electrician Journeyman in 2009. Since I have been out of work I have returned to school and will be attending Illinois Institute of Technology this fall.

I really did not realize how inspirational the labor movement can be until I heard the story of my father who helped organize Jay's Potato Chips on Chicago's southside. When the workers went on strike, the truck drivers who delivered the potatoes refused to make their deliveries until the workers' union contract was recognized. This sort of solidartiy and unity drew me in even further into the labor movement.

I look forward to working with all of the interns and our allies this summer on all of our campaigns with specific detail to the Wal-Mart, U-Cubed, and Jobs With Justice campaigns. I hope I can contribute to the group this summer with my current knowledge of how labor unions, mine in particular, operate. I hope to take what I learn this summer back to my local union and incorporate more progressive values throughout the building trades.

Campaign Update: Carla

Hey! My name is Carla Argueta and I'm really excited to work at AFL-CIO this summer. I've already met a lot of great people, including the other interns working with me and our coordinator Rae. I'm hoping to have a lot of fun while learning about the labor movement this summer.

I've recently graduated from Northwestern University, where I majored in Social Policy and had a minor in Latin@ Studies. While at Northwestern I worked with different immigrant and refugee populations and focused my studies on urban issues. I was also part of the student group that worked to get a Latin@ Studies Program at Northwestern. College has also given me the opportunity to travel to different cities inside and outside of the US. I have volunteered in Havana, Cuba and Portobelo, Panama and studied in Berkeley and Santiago, Chile.

I became interested in the labor movement this year when I began to work with the Living Wage Campaign for Northwestern workers. This summer, I want to learn more about the labor movement and its connection with other movements around Chicago. By being able to learn while doing, the other interns and I will be working hard to make a difference and absorb all of our new experiences.

Campaign Update: Carlos

Hello sisters and brothers! My name is Carlos and I have the honor of being the third Union Summer Intern to welcome you to this blog!

My full name is Carlos Daniel Ramirez-Rosa, but I prefer to go by the somewhat "shorter" name of Carlos Daniel Rosa (my mother’s surname is Ramirez). My parents, Carlos and Margarita, are both first generation immigrants to this nation. Like the millions before them and the millions after them, they, and their parents, came seeking a better job and a better life. They found those jobs and secured a better life through employment at a unionized workplace. Growing up I was privileged to have parents that, due to unionization, had job security, health coverage, fair compensation, and dignity in the workplace. The food that was placed on my table, my affordable visits to the doctor and the stories my parents told me of the battles working people and their unions won (and lost) showed me the power of a united workforce and a union contract.

Growing up in a household where the parents are more concerned about what movie to take the kids to than how they’re going to pay the bills or afford the mortgage shouldn’t be a privilege in the United States of America; and for that simple reason I’m a Union Summer Intern. I’m a Union Summer Intern because I want to be part of the movement that is going to make the American Dream a reality again. I’m a Union Summer Intern because every worker - regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, documentation status or (dis)ability status - should have the right to a good job, a good job guaranteed by a union contract.

I know the work that my fellow interns and I will do this summer will not be easy, but it will be rewarding. I hope that as the summer progresses you'll continue to read this blog. After all, this isn’t just the blog of Union Summer Interns; it’s the blog of Union Summer Interns in Chicago. If history is any guide this promises to be an exciting summer.

Campaign Update: Haley

What up, Chicago!

My name is Haley Leibovitz and I am absolutely thrilled to be working with the AFL-CIO this summer with the six other interns and our site coordinator, Rae!

I am a rising junior at Roosevelt University in the heart of Chicago, where I double major in History and Political science and minor in Women and Gender Studies.

I have been a dedicated feminist for quite some time now and most of my community work reflects this! I have been an active member in the Chicago Next Generation chapter of The National Council of Jewish Women, a group that does progressive feminist outreach, community service, and advocacy. This past year, I was also very involved in my university's Feminists United organization.

I came to the labor movement this past fall while working for a labor-endorsed candidate for Illinois State Representative in the primary. It was my first foray into politics and I became involved because I believed in the vision my candidate has for working families. The real honor, however, was getting to work alongside the passionate AFSCME Retirees who came in everyday to make phone calls, go door-to-door, and give guidance to our young campaign staff. I am forever appreciative for the experience I received and knowledge I gained while working with union organizers and members.

This summer I hope to continue my passion for making a difference through political change by working on issues that are important to working folks all over Chicagoland. By working with the great team of interns, we hope to lift up the voices of young workers, who are some of the most unemployed and underemployed peoples in the country.

Stay tuned for all the great actions we are going to be a part of this summer and keep your eyes peeled for opportunities to join us!

Campaign Update: Maddie

Hello everyone, my name is Maddie Conway and I am a student at the University of Michigan. I first got involved with the labor movement this past April when the Lecturers' Employee Organization (LEO) at Michigan was renegotiating their contract. It really moved me to be out rallying in support of LEO because my teachers and mentors at school were being affected by the negotiations. From there, I decided to search for union organizing internships and found AFL-CIO's Union Summer program.

This summer I will be working with the Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans preparing for their upcoming "Truth Tour", a political education campaign aimed at seniors throughout the state. Currently, I am working with the Chicago Federation of Labor researching and writing a brief about the impact of Wal-Mart opening in our area. So far, I have learned a lot about issues affecting the local community here in Chicago and I hope to gain more experience in research, lobbying, organizing and knowledge of labor history.

Welcome

Welcome to the Union Summer Chicago Interns' blog! Here we will be documenting our experiences as interns, the actions we organize, campaigns we work on, and our growing knowledge about the labor movement (especially in Chicago). We hope you will stay on this journey with us via our blog!

We just completed one week of training in Washington, DC at AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor - Congress of Industrial Organizations) headquarters. We heard a lecture on the history of the labor movement, personal stories from organizers, career advice from lobbyists and visions for the future from leaders in the labor movement. All in all it was an inspiring week!

This past week we met with leaders from AFSCME, the Grassroots Collaborative, Jobs With Justice, the Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans, and other Chicago organizations. After hearing about the campaigns they are working on, we are forming our plan of action for the summer. Please come back and visit us soon to hear about our goals!