United Workers

Now that the summer is winding down, we’re kicking off another series of Strategic Dialogues. Join students, faith leaders, artists, media makers, community organizers and United Workers leaders in the next installment of this series. With unemployment and jobs on the tip of everyone’s tongues, we decided to take on this issue. Through a multi-media presentation and discussion, we’ll unpack the figures and the myths, examine how we got here and discuss the value of work with dignity. After taking on this heavy subject, we’ll reach back for lessons and inspiration from our own Maryland history to see how past leaders have organized to demand respect, dignity and end to exploitation: from unemployed sailors in Baltimore during the Great Depression to Abolitionist Movement that helped bring about an end to slavery.

The Strategic Dialogues are an opportunity to come together across many barriers to share food, culture, ideas, and energy. So join us once again for an exciting Strategic Dialogue!

What: Strategic Dialogue
When: Saturday, September 10th, 10:30 AM-2:30 PM
Where: “2640″ St. Paul St. (aka St. John’s Church)
*Lite breakfast and lunch provided

To RSVP, call 410-230-1998 or email ashley@unitedworkers.org

The deadline to submit a workshop proposal for the Fair Development Conference is Monday, August 15th. So far there are some pretty exciting proposals in the works. Everything from the intersection of human rights and economic development to media and movement building, from successful worker-led corporate accountability campaigns to sustainable worker-owned cooperatives, from nuts & bolts trainings on organizing and developing an effective campaign to analysis of the current political economy. But there is still time to add to this growing program and we encourage you to take part in making the Fair Development Conference a powerful and comprehensive national conversation. To learn more about submitting a proposal, go here.

Also, we’ve just set-up on online registration for the Fair Development Conference. So let us know you’re coming and register today!

This week the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW)  kicked off their Trader Joe’s Northeast Tour in Baltimore. Together, the CIW, United Workers, and community allies hit up our local Trader Joe’s, which happens to be located in one of GGP’s many malls, the Towson Town Center. It was an interesting physical intersection of the Campaign for Fair Food and the fight for Fair Development.

To see more from the photo report from this action and to follow the tour, go to http://www.ciw-online.org

The United Workers stopped by the Steiner Show studios today to discuss our recent Fair Development protest at the Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) office, where we called attention to Cordish and the BDC’s closed-door meeting around a proposed 3 million dollar rent break for the harbor developer. As always, it was an engaging conversation ranging from BDC’s lack of transparency to Dr.King’s Poor People’s Campaign.

The Marc Steiner Show invited Cordish, the BDC, and the Mayor’s office on the show, but none of them accepted the invitation. Too bad because we would have loved the opportunity to ask the BDC in person whether they’d be open to a transparent process involving workers at the table to determine real improvements to the harbor that benefit all. Their declining to be on the show demonstrated yet again an unwillingness to engage workers and the public in a real dialogue around Fair Development. We might not have gotten a response to our question today, but they can’t hide behind closed-doors forever.

You can listen to the show by tuning in today, Thursday, August 4th, at 5 PM on 88.9 WEAA or you can listen to the podcast now online, http://www.steinershow.org