April
12 - Cleaners return to stadium at living wages, win "Troublemaker
Award"
Leaders in the United Workers traveled to Detroit, MI for
Labor Notes conference to share stories of struggle and
strategies with others fighting for human rights and worker's
rights. In recognition of our historic human rights victory,
Labor Notes presented the United Workers with a Troublemaker
Award.
Just weeks before, cleaners at Camden Yards returned to
work at a living wage for the first time in the stadium's
history. And who ever said that making trouble is its own
reward?
Of course, we've been making trouble for some time. Five
years ago, cleaners were paid less than even the minimum
wage - $4 an hour. Through courage, unity and commitment,
an under the threat of the Living Wages Hunger Strike, the
cleaners at Camden Yards secured their human right to a
living wage.
But even after securing the promise of a living wage we
kept up the pressure to ensure that words would result in
action. Since September, we have made it clear to the Maryland
Stadium Authority that we expect that every cleaner who
worked on a regular basis in years past get a fair opportunity
to work at the new living wage. To this end, cleaners met
and participated in mass meetings to define our terms and
to prepare a registry of past cleaners, so that we could
fight on behalf of each member. As the baseball season kicks-off
it's time to celebrate our first campaign victory. We'll
stay focused on ensuring that the victory results in fair
treatment of workers and living wages at Camden Yards.
In the fall, soon after the end of the season, we plan
to launch our next economic human rights campaign. So join
us as we celebrate victory and plan for the future –
2008 is the Year of Human Rights!
Be sure to check
out this great interview with United Workers Leader,
Robert Graham on the historic nature of this victory.
Dec
8 - Leadership Day
As we reach the final phases of the Looking Forward strategic
planning process, leaders of the United Workers packed into
our small East Baltimore office for the twice-yearly Leadership
Day, electing six new leaders to the Leadership Committee,
bringing the Committee total to fifteen. The elected Leadership
Committee is the decision making body of the United Workers
and is composed entirely of low-wage members. This body
effectively defines who the United Workers is as a Human
Rights organization which is led by the poor and fighting
to end poverty. Those on the Leadership Committee collectively
strategize on the organization's direction and are responsible
for ensuring the mission and vision of the United Workers
gets carried out by our members, staff and allies working
together.
The expansion of the Leadership Committee reflects the growth
of the United Workers membership to over 900 low-wage workers.
This brings in new perspectives and widens participation
by the leadership of the organization as we build a movement
led by the poor capable of ending poverty across racial,
gender and language barriers.
Dec
4 - CIW March on Burger King for Fair Food and Human Rights
Listen
to Luis' solidarity speech at Burger King head quarters
A delegation of United Workers leaders traveled 17 hours
from cold Baltimore to sunny Miami to join in solidarity
with the Coalition of Immokalee
Workers (CIW) and thousands of other allies in a 9-mile
March on Burger King Headquarters to demand Fair Food
and an end to Farmworker exploitation and modern-day slavery.
On the following day, we gathered for “Our
World, Our Rights Conference” and Concert for
Fair Food with other groups from across the country to share
our common struggles, victories, and commitments to Human
Rights.
As we drove back to Baltimore reflecting on the similarities
of poverty in Immokalee, Miami and Baltimore, United Workers
leader, Luis Larin summed up the amazing trip this way:
“With the lessons that we have learned during these
days, we are ready for the next fight to come, because we
have not yet finished with our historic struggle. Along
with allies like the CIW, our struggle continues as part
of a movement for freedom from poverty.”
Read more about the CIW
and the weekend events here
Oct
19-21 - Looking Forward Retreat
Leaders and allies of the United Workers gathered at The
Emergence Community Arts Collective, in Washington, DC for
the annual Looking Forward Retreat. The weekend long Looking
Forward Retreat was a time of reflection on lessons learned
from the three-year long struggle for living wages at Camden
Yards and looking forward to the continued fight for Human
Rights on the path to freedom from poverty.
Long time allies of the United Workers, from the Poor People's
Economic Human Rights Campaign, University of the Poor,
and the Poverty Initiative, joined the retreat to reflect
on the United Workers historic human rights victory. Looking
forward, the United Workers strategized on the next steps
for securing jobs for the current cleaners at a living wage
for the next season.
In the final day's prayer circle, United Workers leaders
and allies recommitted themselves to building a movement
led by the poor, across race and language, to end poverty
and secure human rights for everyone, everywhere.
