ISSUE 2
AUGUST 2021
Solidarity is Our Superpower
In This Issue Summer Intern Welcome St. Vincent Nurses Fair Work Week PUMA Gig Worker Support Mass UndocuFund Summer Agitator Series #EyesOnAmazon Canada Goose
Massachusetts Jobs with Justice p. 617-433-8391 e. jwj@massjwj.net a.375 Centre St, Boston, MA 02130 & 1380 Main St #203, Springfield, MA 01103 w. massjwj.net DONATE HERE!
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Dear friends, This summer, our team here at Mass JwJ has been hard at work, not only supporting workers across the state, but introducing the next generation of organizers to our movement. Our intern team this summer comes from a variety of backgrounds and has a diverse range of skills and interests. As the newest members of the Jobs with Justice team, we have completed an array of projects, including testifying in support of the Fair Work Week bill at the State House, creating educational materials for Mass JwJ to distribute, publishing op-eds, and much more. Joining an incredible team of organizers has been educational for all of us, and we all have learned so much over the course of this summer. We look forward to taking these organizing skills with us wherever we may go in our journeys and hope that our work inspires other young people interested in organizing to take that first step into being the movement leaders of the future. In solidarity, Your summer JwJ intern team MASS JWJ | ISSUE 2
Welcome Summer Interns! We are excited to introduce the 14 interns assisting us with our work this summer. High school, college, and graduate students are spending their summer with us fighting for justice across the state. Their work with campaigns such as the Fair Work Week legislative campaign and St. Vincent Nurses Strike has increased our capacity and impact, and we are so grateful for their hard work and dedication!
Aakash Patel Ben Gold Dayanara Mendez Dillon Tedesco Grace Pham Jacey Woods Jade Arnold-Scott
Jack Kinslea Kathleen Chesnutt Luca Rogoff Maddy Fischer Natalie Chen Sarah Reyes Tim Fay
Some interns are working remotely, while others are doing a combination of remote and inperson work. Three of our summer interns, Jack Kenslea, Grace Pham, and Ben Gold joined organizer Yessenia Prodero and Co-Executive Director Lily Huang at the State House rally in June to support gig workers.
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Solidarity with St. Vincent's Nurses
Since our last Newsletter, Massachusetts Jobs with Justice has continued supporting the nurses at St. Vincent's Hospital in Worcester and the MNA, who are currently on the longest current continual strike in the country. Additionally, on July 31st, the Worcester Community United group marched in solidarity with the nurses. Learn more about what you can do to support here!
Over the last several months, Massachusetts Jobs with Justice has been advocating in support of the Fair Work Week bill, also referred to as “An Act relative to the scheduling of employees." On July 13th, our staff and intern team wrote and shared virtual testimony in front of the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce and Development in support of this act. If you're interested following along with our efforts to get this bill passed to support the majority Black and Brown women workers of Massachusetts, you can check out the Fair Work Week website here! 03
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PUMA The Parents Union of Massachusetts is uniting parents across the state to move in solidarity with the fight for justice for immigrant families. We move in solidarity with the MNA and demand that corporations respect their workers and prioritize people over profit. Our goal this legislative session is to pass the Work and Family Mobility Act and the Fair Work Week bill. These two bills will change the lives of our immigrant and undocumented families.
Gig Workers In June, Mass JwJ joined the Coalition to Protect Workers' Rights, a diverse statewide coalition of workers, unions, and social justice organizations defending and advancing economic justice, racial justice, and more. Our current mission is to confront Big Tech companies and oppose their campaign for H.1213, which would classify gig workers as independent contractors rather than employees with rights and benefits. We are dedicated to protecting gig workers such as Uber/Lyft drivers and food delivery app drivers like DoorDash and Grubhub by fighting against H.1213.
Mass UndocuFund Mass JwJ was one of the three founding organization of Massachusetts UndocuFund for Covid-19 Relief. It was founded by a coalition of organizations to provide direct financial support to undocumented people in Massachusetts affected by the pandemic. Through the Mass UndocuFund, we've been able to: reach almost 4,000 families and individuals with financial assistance throughout the Commonwealth Fundraise over $1.4 million Work with 13 partner organizations across the state to amplify reach to impacted communites
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Summer Agitator Series We are excited to present our Summer Agitator Training Series. The series features multiple presenters highlighting topics to help participants become more confident and effective organizers. The series has been held throughout the summer via Zoom. For more information about the schedule check out our JwJ Facebook page. MASS JWJ | ISSUE 2
#EyesOnAmazon Amazon was scheduled to hold its annual shareholder meeting on May 26. At that meeting, Jeff Bezos and Andy Jassy reported to investors on the company’s performance over the past year and celebrated the $21.3 billion in profits that the company generated for shareholders in 2020. But this year, more than any other, Amazon’s role in our democracy and economy is also on the agenda at Amazon’s shareholder meeting. On Monday, May 24th we visited the offices of Amazon’s shareholders just days before the annual general meeting to push these large investors to vote with communities and not continue to enable the bad behavior of Amazon management. We delivered a blown-up copy of an AGM ballot card with the right votes checked off.
Canada Goose: Shame on Bain In July, Mass JwJ and other labor movement organizations and unions gathered in front of the Bain Capital Headquarters in Boston to stand in solidarity with the Canada Goose garment workers in Winnipeg, Canada.
Many of these workers, a majority being immigrants and women of color, experience union busting and intimidation in the workplace. Many city leaders called out Bain's shameful labor practices and emphasized their commitment to fight for the rights and safety of these workers. You can read more about this rally and movement here! 05
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March and Rally to Support St. Vincent Nurses A march and rally to support the MNA and striking St. Vincent Nurses was held on Saturday, July 31st. Mass JwJ, Worcester Community United, and other community members and organizations stood in solidarity with the nurses as they reached their 21st week of the strike. Supporters marched from Worcester City Hall to St. Vincent Hospital sharing their support of the nurses fighting for nurse and patient health and safety and demanding action from Tenet Healthcare Corporation.
Worcester Community United In July, Worcester Community United held a kickoff event bringing together organizers in Worcester with all kinds of missions for a community-building event. In an effort to connect the various community organizations, the night was full of speeches, food, and activities. Organizers from grassroots organizations like Movimiento Cosecha, Worcester Democratic Socialists of America, Defund WPD, and more were present at the event. The kickoff event was the firsts of its kind in the Worcester community and established connections and a shared network of resources between organizers standing in solidarity for justice for all people. 05
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Jobs with Justice in the News Workers’ groups urge Amazon shareholders State Street and Fidelity to hold the company more accountable 'They've got the money': Rally calls on WRTA to listen to riders, keep free fares 'Forgotten' in city 'need food to get through week' as federal COVID food program ends Henrys should respect Globe workforce As USDA food program ends, Central Mass. groups work to fill the void
Contact Us:
p. 617-433-8391 e. jwj@massjwj.net a. 375 Centre St, Boston, MA 02130 & 1380 Main St #203, Springfield, MA 01103 w. massjwj.net DONATE HERE!
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