United Workers

After months of gearing up for the March to Occupy GGP, it is almost upon us. Before you now it, we’ll be marching 4 miles connecting the Baltimore where workers live, take their kids to school, and worship to the Poverty-Zone where they work. Once we arrive at the Inner Harbor, low-wage workers will lead the march through the downtown mall.

The March to Occupy GGP is going to be an exciting demonstration of the escalating pressure against General Growth Properties with hundreds from Baltimore and beyond participating. That said, with only several days left, there are still many ways you can be a part of making it happen.

Ways to Take Part:

• Be a part of a street team and flier march route Wednesday-Friday
• Help make sandwiches on Friday for marchers
• Give rides the day of, removing barriers to members
• General volunteering on the day of

Let us know if you can volunteer for any of these efforts by emailing occupyggp@unitedworkers.org or calling 410-230-1998.

Also, if you haven’t already told us you’re coming, shoot us an email or give us a call, we’d love to hear from you!

As we prepare for the March to Occupy GGP, we thought we’d take a stroll down memory lane to remind ourselves (and General Growth Properties) of the steps along the Human Rights Zone Campaign that have led us up to this point.

October 25, 2008—Low-wage workers march from Camden Yards to the Inner Harbor, declaring it a "Human Rights Zone."

November 2009— Harbor workers move human rights demands to the "top of the profit" chain to the developers who control the Inner Harbor.

December 10, 2009— Juan Paredes, Cheesecake Factory worker, signs demand letter to harbor developers, General Growth Properties and the Cordish Co.

December 10, 2009— On our Fair Food Solidarity Tour with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, the United Workers mails off demand letters from a post office in Immokalee, Florida.

May 1, 2010— Over five hundred low-wage workers and allies come together for a city-wide participation play involving four neighborhood street performances and a march through the Inner Harbor.

September 2010— While on our first Poverty-Zone Reality Tour, a delegation of harbor workers and allies attempt to deliver the demand letter to top GGP executives in person.

November 18, 2010— United Workers attempt to reach out to Harborplace General Manager, Chris Schardt, about rampant human rights abuses at mall.

December 10, 2011— After two years of being ignored by GGP, harbor workers and allies stage a mass letter drop to demand immediate action. This action kicks off a national ramp-up against GGP.

Two years of silence from GGP on systemic human rights abuses at their mall is unacceptable. Harbor workers and allies from across the country demand action now and hundreds will be joining us next Saturday for the March to Occupy GGP. Harbor workers are calling on all our allies to stand with workers in calling on GGP to meet workers demands and restore the promise of the Inner Harbor.

For more details on the March to Occupy GGP, go here

To let us know you’ll be joining us, email occupyggp@unitedworkers.org or call 410-230-1998.

This weekends actions were larger than life, literally. From a blown up demand letter to large scale projected animations, this past weekend was one of the most interactive, art filled and BIGGEST expressions of Occupy the Malls to date. As we gear up for the March to Occupy GGP on May 19th, the United Workers Action Team, a group of low-wage workers, artists, and activists have been designing creative tactics for getting the message out about the human rights abuses at the Inner Harbor and General Growth Properties steadfast refusal to acknowledge workers demands.

On Friday as tourists and harbor goers enjoyed a lovely Spring evening, an unusual thing happened. A light was cast on the Inner Harbor, exposing the reality of poverty-zone development on Baltimore. Greenpants, a Baltimore based group of artist, activists, and educators, came up with a brilliant idea to project an animation on the exterior of the mall that told the story of workers fight for work with dignity and fair development at the Inner Harbor. This mesmerizing projection was a perfect example of public art being used to open up space for conversations about development, poverty, and human rights.

The very next day, the Action Team unveiled a blown-up version of harbor workers demand letter (the one we’ve been dropping off at GGP malls across the country). Who knows, maybe GGP hasn’t responded to our letter because they couldn’t read the small font. But instead of bringing this letter to GGP, once again, we decided to instead bring it to the people. One by one, harbor visitors gravitated to the giant yellow letter and once learning of the abuses at the harbor they added their signature to the call for workers demands to a right to work with dignity, healthcare and education.

After several hours of educating consumers and gathering signatures, we walked up several blocks to the plaza outside the offices of the Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) to join the Spring Development Forum. Organized by Another BDC is Possible, the Spring Development Forum was right up our alley. Leaders from across the city, working on a variety of social and economic justice issues, from worker’s rights to juvenile justice reform, came out to discuss how our current model of economic development benefits only a few and share how we can create a new model of economic development that truly benefits all.

This weekends actions proved once again that the message of Fair Development resonates with people from all walks of life. As we prepare for the March to Occupy GGP, we’re calling on all those who believe in the tenants of Fair Development, respect for human rights, public benefits over private gain, and sustainability, join us in this major action on May 19th.

International Worker’s Day is a day for lifting up the voices of workers struggling for dignity and justice at work and in their communities. It is a celebration of unity and solidarity across geography, sectors, race, gender, and all barriers that would divide us. Across the world, marches and actions take place to honor this day. In Baltimore, postal workers, service-sector workers, day laborers, community activists and labor organizers will rally at McKeldin Square at the Inner Harbor. While in Montpelier, our good friends, the Vermont Workers Center are staging their annual May Day march and rally to Put People First.

It is in this spirit of raising our voices that we share this video of United Workers leader, Raquel Rojas, telling her story. She connects the exploitation she experienced working at a marble factory in Mexico to the exploitation she experienced working at the Cheesecake Factory in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Raquel talks about why she decided to become an organizer, saying that, “the struggle for human rights is one that I believe we all must carry.”

Raquel has become one of many leaders in the fight for Fair Development at the Inner Harbor. On November 18, 2010, she led a delegation of workers and allies to General Growth’s Properties offices at Harborplace to once again call their attention to the rampant human rights violations taking place at their mall, see past web post. Despite these attempts by workers, GGP has continued to turn a blind eye to the exploitation of workers. That is why, as Raquel states, we must all carry the struggle for human rights and why we’re asking for everyone to join the March to Occupy GGP on Saturday, May 19th.

Go here for more information on the March to Occupy GGP. If you have not already told us you’re planning on coming, please email us at occupyggp@unitedworkers.org or call us at 410-230-1998.

March to Occupy GGP

Saturday, May 19th
11 AM

Gather at Gwynns Falls Elementary
2700 Gwynns Falls Parkway, Baltimore, MD 21216

On May 19th, hundreds of low-wage workers and community allies will take the fight for Fair Development one step further with the March to Occupy GGP, a 4-mile non-violent march and occupation. We’ll be taking back our harbor and demanding a change to business as usual. We’re bringing the march directly to the steps of General Growth Properties and once we arrive at their steps, we will not stop there. We will march right on in and march through Harborplace mall. For a moment, we will occupy this temple of consumerism and fill the space with the possibilities of our shared dreams and demands for human rights and Fair Development. This simple act will send a resounding call to General Growth Properties that they need to put their house in order and ensure human rights for workers at their malls.

Now, is the time to stand with harbor workers and the vision of a “Human Rights Zone” at the Inner Harbor and malls across the country. Nation-wide GGP malls are part of problem of growing inequality and poverty in our communities, but we know they can be a part of the solution, if we demand it.

Email occupyggp@unitedworkers.org to let us know that you’ll be there on May 19th for the March to Occupy GGP!

United Workers Annual Human Rights Dinner is our way of honoring the tremendous leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to social justice and human rights in Baltimore. This event marks our Poverty Scholars graduation. This year we are thrilled to be able to share with you the tremendous work of Armando Tema and Raquel Rojas. Armando is graduating from the program, completing his three years of study and Raquel is advancing to her final year in the program.

Join us April 22^nd at 5pm Presbytery of Baltimore

5400 Loch Raven Blvd. Baltimore

RSVP Now!

Buy your tickets online by going to our eventbrite page

or

Let us know you’ll be coming and paying at the door, 410-230-1998 or info@unitedworkers.org

The Value of an Education

We believe that movements for transformative change are built, not born, by many many leaders united around human rights values. Our goal for 2012 is to recruit 50 new monthly Sustainers, these are people in the community who want to contribute monthly to sustaining this growing movement.  Becoming a Sustainer ensures that the United Workers can continue to carry out the type of long-term leadership development, like the Poverty Scholars and New Organizers Program. If you can’t attend the Human Rights Dinner, the next best thing is to become a Sustainer or make a one time contribution. You can do so by going here!

Armando reflects on his personal transformation and experience in United Workers Poverty Scholars program:

After coming to the U.S, I experienced many things that were worse than what I experienced in Guatemala. Back in Guatemala I only worked for 8 to 9 hours a day, but here I was working 12 to 14 hours per day under unfair conditions for what I thought was a “good salary.”  But I thought that was just how things work here.  I worked with the same boss for a year until he began paying us with bad checks.  As we pressured him to pay us, he decided to fire us.  I became unemployed, and let me tell you, that was very hard. I thought I’d never find a job; I was sad and worried about all of my expenses. I had to find another job quickly, which led me to work at removing dirt in a basement for 15 days.   I received nothing, not even a penny, because the contractor claimed he himself had not been paid for the job but we never knew if it was true or not. 

I met others with similar experiences and they said there is nothing you can do and that I just had to accept it. I spent a year working just 2 to 3 days per week and when I worked one full week I wasn’t sure if I would get paid for everything.  This was how I lived, day to day. Until one morning I met two people who told me about justice and some ways to solve these problems.   I was unsure if I could actually contribute to change the situation and I did not understand how.  But I thought, “Well, what can I lose if I decide to learn a little bit more about what these people do?” That day I learned, 1st of all what was happening to all workers was not legal, 2^nd, that it was all too common and 3rd that there was something to do to eliminate these situations. I thought to myself, “this is interesting and I want to learn more about what to do.”  I don’t want to work hard for free. 

My difficult and bitter experiences led me to be part of United Workers and strive for the possibility of change; this was the hope that I was looking for. Now I say we must prepare to fight for justice. For over 4 years United Workers has led me where I could not reach by myself. 

You might ask me what place I’m in now.  My answer to that is a place where I better understand the meaning of unity, organizing, justice, solidarity and cooperation. I met other people in different places with the same struggles, but specifically connected with families within our community. I’ve also spent three years studying and reflecting on politics, poverty economy, culture, history, morality and justice, etc. All of these things have impacted and changed my life. They have allowed me to see things from another point of view and see the reality that another society is possible and that united we can achieve the change.  I understand that we have common problems and we can find common solutions if we work together as brothers and sisters. We must leave behind all those obstacles that prevent unity and organization; and that through the unity of the community will build strength and power.

The Occupy the Mall movement is picking up speed. Last week, we announced the March to Occupy GGP, a major non-violent march and occupation at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor on May 19th, allies in Florida, Minnesota, and Vermont participated in the National Day of Action, we recorded a radio appearance for the Michael Eric Dyson Show and we hit GGP’s South St. Seaport Mall this Saturday with a spectacular letter drop as a part of the Left Forum Conference in New York. What a week!

For a recap of the National Day of Action and announcement of the “March to Occupy GGP,” check-out this powerful video produced by our very own internal media team. Thanks to the Vermont Workers Center, the Center for Workers United in Struggle, and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers for bringing the fight for Fair Development home!

Also, tune in to the Michael Eric Dyson Show on Monday, March 26th at 9am (EST) in Baltimore on WEAA 88.9 or stream live via the web to hear Inner Harbor worker, Jared Gary, and Leadership Organizer, Luis Larin talk about the poverty producing conditions at the Inner Harbor and the struggle to hold General Growth Properties accountable.

Be on the look-out for more videos and updates to come!

The Vermont Workers Center took part in yesterday’s National Day of Action against General Growth Properties by staging a letter drop at GGP’s “Burlington Town Center Mall”. Our allies in Vermont touched our hearts, as we learned that they sang “Solidarity Forever” during the letter drop. Thanks to Vermont Workers Center for your deep commitment to the human rights of everyone, everywhere.

To learn more about the Vermont Workers Center, go to www.workerscenter.org

Today, new meaning was brought to the expression, “when it rains it pours”. As part of a National Day of Action against General Growth Properties, thousands of letters rained on GGP malls across the country signaling a growing national call for GGP to ensure human rights at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

While allies as far as Florida, Vermont, and Minnesota took part in letter drops and solidarity actions at GGP malls in their communities, the United Workers announced a next step in the ramp-up against GGP. On May 19, hundreds of low-wage workers, students, faith leaders, and community members will take part in the “March to Occupy GGP,” a major non-violent march and occupation of GGP’s Inner Harbor property. In the spirit of the lunch counter sit-ins of the 1960′s, harbor workers and allies will use the power of peaceful resistance to shine a light on the problem of poverty-zone development.

GGP’s continued refusal to acknowledge workers demands for basic dignity and respect has only strengthened our resolve to awaken a sense of corporate responsibility within GGP, to show them who bears the true cost of their development, and to bring them to the table with workers. We will march and occupy so that one day it will won’t be letters that rain on GGP, but justice. So mark your calendars now and plan on standing with Inner Harbor workers in the fight for Fair Development for all. More information on the March to Occupy GGP is forthcoming.

Also, check back in for photos and videos from the National Day of Action!

Join us for another exciting Strategic Dialogue on Saturday, March 10th. This time we’ve collaborated with the Poverty Initiative in putting together an incredible series of discussions. With a rich Abolitionist history in Maryland, we’ll be traveling back to examine this transformative moment in our country’s past.

Not unlike our times, profound political and economic inequalities preceding the Civil War set the stage for a battle, on the field, but more importantly in the hearts and minds of Americans. We’ll discuss the important role of religion and faith in arguments both for and against slavery. Finally, we’ll look to leaders like Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and John Brown to guide us along our own journey on the Underground Railroad to freedom from poverty.

While the United Workers has for a long time looked to Harriet Tubman for inspiration as a Marylander and movement leader, coincidentally Frederick Douglass also has a connection to the Human Rights Zone Campaign as a former harbor worker himself! So, don’t miss this incredible opportunity to learn, share, and grow together as leaders in the fight for human rights for all.

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

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

Rev. Roger Scott Powers introducing Fair Development Overture to Maryland Presbytery

The pressure on Inner Harbor developers is mounting. As we saw with our Fair Development Conference and recent spate of “Letter Drops” at GGP malls, the community support from every sector – students, unions, neighborhoods and faith is growing tremendously.

On Feb. 11, 2012, more voices joined this growing chorus demanding Fair Development. The Presbytery of Baltimore held their annual governing meeting. Over 100 representatives from Presbyterian churches from Baltimore City to Maryland’s western most Garrett County came together and voted overwhelmingly in favor of the Light Street Presbytery’s Fair Development Overture, with over 94% voting for passage. This brave act for social justice sends a powerful message of unity with United Workers’ Campaign for Fair Development at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. The Overture now goes before that national Presbytery at their Gathering in Pittsburgh this Summer.

Rev. Roger Powers of Light St. Presbyterian and a long time leader in the struggle for Fair Development at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, introduced the Overture with these words:

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has a long history of supporting economic justice.  Our church has stood in solidarity with the poor and the oppressed, called for reform of corporate misdeeds, proposed living wages, supported economic boycotts, demanded safe working conditions, and supported collective bargaining.

Our own Confession of 1967 says “a church that is indifferent to poverty, or evades responsibility in economic affairs . . . makes a mockery of reconciliation and offers no acceptable worship to God.

Ten years ago, the 214^th General Assembly endorsed a consumer boycott of Taco Bell started by the Florida-based Coalition of Immokalee Workers.  The community group sought better wages and working conditions for Florida farm workers who pick tomatoes that go into Taco Bell products.  With the support of the PCUSA and that of other denominations, the farm workers won.

In recent years, the United Workers Association of Baltimore has been organizing low-wage workers in the Inner Harbor to demand living wages, better working conditions, and respect for human rights.  They have received our financial support in the form of Self-Development of People grants.  They are now asking for our moral support.

Developers such as General Growth Properties and the Cordish Company, which control the Inner Harbor, receive large amounts of public money for what are billed as “revitalization” projects for depressed areas.  Yet the jobs created by these projects are unregulated, minimum wage, seasonal, and rife with human rights abuses.

Overture 2012-2 asks the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to call for an end to this kind of Poverty Zone Development and to advocate for Fair Development that respects human rights, maximizes public benefits, and fosters sustainability.

The Session of Light Street Presbyterian Church recommends that you send this overture on to the 220^th General Assembly for action.

The Fair Development Overture included this instruction to national General Assembly:

The Presbytery of Baltimore respectfully overtures the 220th General Assembly (2012) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to:

(1) commend the United Workers Association of Baltimore for its efforts at organizing low-wage workers to demand living wages, better working conditions, and respect for human rights.

(2) support the call of the United Workers Association of Baltimore for Fair Development Standards that will improve working conditions and alleviate poverty conditions for millions of workers across the United States.

(3) direct the Stated Clerk to write a letter to the prominent national developers General Growth Properties and the Cordish Company, the Mayor of Baltimore City, and the Governor of Maryland, calling for an end to Poverty Zone Development and urging the adoption of Fair Development that respects human rights (Work with Dignity, the Right to Health Care and Education), maximizes public benefits, and fosters sustainability.

(4) urge Presbyterians to:

a)    support the organizing of low-wage workers at malls to improve working conditions;

b)    join together with low-wage service workers to pressure developers to respect human rights and pay living wages in cities and towns across the country; and

c)    hold developers to account through worker-driven corporate accountability campaigns, changing the relationship between developers, the community, and workers, to secure human rights standards and Fair Development Agreements.

(5) request that the Presbyterian Hunger Program, the Presbyterian Office of Public Witness, and/or other appropriate entities of the church, help build a national public policy dialogue about how to ensure that public resources are used to benefit the public good rather than private interests.

Thank you to the Presbytery of Baltimore for standing strong with low-wage workers in the struggle for Fair Development!

Last Thursday, 40  students from Union Theological Seminary and leaders from the Poverty Initiative kick started “Occupy the Malls” with a creative flash mob at GGP’s Gallery Mall. Inspired by the biblical story of Jesus cleansing the temple of thieving money changers, this group of faith leaders “cleansed” this temple of consumerism through song and prayer. Disrupting business as usual, they burst into the spiritual, “Get on Board,” calling on workers, shoppers, and GGP to get on board with human rights. The flash mob ended with a prayer circle and reflection at the entrance to GGP’s mall.

In her blog entry entitled the “Cathedrals of Inequality,” Union Theological Seminary student, Valerie Freseman, reflects on the power of this action.

For six minutes today, however, we started to chip at the facade of this false cathedral. Those who are consumers at that mall and those who are workers became a bit more visible to one another- and to me, our action was almost the same as throwing the money changers out of the temple.”

To read the full entry, go here

“Occupy the Malls” calls on allies to stage creative flash mobs and actions at GGP malls in solidarity with low-wage workers at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Last Thursday’s prayerful flash mob was an incredible kick-off to “Occupy the Malls” and demonstrated the imaginative and unique possibilities that allies from all backgrounds can bring to the fight for Fair Development. Great work to the Poverty Initiative and all for an outstanding demonstration of solidarity and vision.

As the second largest mall owner in the country, GGP has properties all over. So no matter where you are, there’s likely a mall near you! Break out your creative cap and stand with harbor workers by staging your own Occupy the Malls flash mob. To learn more how you can take part, email info@unitedworkers.org.

We closed out 2011 by embarking on a major ramp-up of the Human Rights Zone Campaign. This past December 10th marked the two-year anniversary of the day that harbor workers mailed letters GGP and Cordish, the developers that control the Inner Harbor. After two years of silence and inaction despite repeated attempts for dialogue, low-wage workers announced an escalation in the fight for fair development by staging “letter drops” at GGP malls this holiday season.

Here’s a media round-up from this holiday’s actions

Articles:

• Baltimore Brew: “Inner Harbor mall blanketed by blizzard of protest letters”
• Towson Patch: “Workers Group To Protest at Towson Town Center”
• In These Times: “Baltimore’s United Workers Disrupt Christmas Shopping, Demand Stable Jobs, Better Wages”

Videos:

• First letter drop marking ramp-up
• Holiday “drop” at Towson Mall

In our letter to GGP, sent in 2009, we requested face to face talks with them before Christmas of that year, as a first step towards making progress on our demands. And yet another Christmas has passed that GGP has failed to come to the table with workers. But with a new year comes a resurgence of hope and energy towards the possibility for change. Our New Year’s resolution is to continue to escalating our demands for justice and human rights at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. From Baltimore to GGP’s headquarters in Chicago, we will carry out letter drops and actions calling on GGP to act now. We hope that GGP has made a New Year’s resolution as well to be truer to their statements of sustaining “a work environment founded on dignity and respect for all employees.”

So here’s to a new year of intensifying the fight for Fair Development in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor! Stay tuned for next steps!

Check-out this recent article from Kari Lydersen reporting for Working In These Times.

For full article, go to http://inthesetimes.com/working

On December 10, Christmas shoppers at the Gallery Mall in Baltimore were interrupted by chanting and thousands of fliers fluttering from balconies of higher floors, where a banner was also unfurled.

The fliers called on one of the country’s largest mall-development companies, Gallery Mall owner General Growth Properties (GGP), to provide stable jobs, better wages, benefits and decent conditions for thousands of workers at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor Harborplace mall, a tourist magnet across the street.

Early in the new year the group plans to again travel to GGP’s headquarters in Chicago, where the company owns the famous Water Tower Place mall. Along the way, they’ll be visiting GGP-owned malls for flier drops and actions in many locations.

To read past coverage, go here

The United Workers attempted a “letter drop” at the Towson Town Center mall on Thursday, December 15th. After harbor workers were blocked from carrying out the action, we returned the very next day! “Drops” will continue at GGP malls from Baltimore to Chicago, home to GGP’s headquarters, until GGP meets all demands.

Read the Towson Patch’s article announcing Thursday’s letter drop at the Towson Town Center mall.

The tents may not be coming, but a workers group wants to bring the spirit of the Occupy movement to Towson, with a side of the Christmas spirit.

The Baltimore group United Workers plans to drop letters at a to-be-decided location in Towson Town Center on Thursday.

The group will meet at 4:30 p.m. at the mall entrance at Fairmount Avenue and Towson Gate Drive, where protestors will sing Christmas carols before heading inside to unfurl a banner and release their flyers and letters.

The letter, dated Dec. 10, 2009, calls out the leadership of Chicago-based General Growth Properties, the mall’s owner, for not doing enough to encourage better working conditions at The Gallery at Harborplace, which the company also owns.

To read the full article, go to http://towson.patch.com

Wish you had been at Saturday’s “letter drop”? Well, here’s the next best thing. Check-out this amazing video from our internal media team! Stay tuned for updates on upcoming “letter drops”.

Today’s “letter drop” marked a major ramp-up in the Human Rights Zone Campaign. Saturday, December 10, 2009, two years ago to this day, we mailed harbor developers a letter notifying them of the intolerable working conditions at their malls and calling on them to meet workers demands. For two years, GGP has deliberately ignored our repeated attempts at dialogue. Enough is enough, we demand action now!

To bring our message home, we staged a dramatic “letter drop” on GGP’s Gallery Mall across from the Inner Harbor. While consumers were busy doing their holiday shopping, we captured attention by releasing 10, 000 copies of the letter from third and fourth floor balconies. An explosion of color flooded the space, yellow and black balloons ascended and descended amidst a flurry of yellow paper. While shoppers gazed with curiosity, we chanted, “What do we want!? Human Rights! When do want it!? Now!” Consumers picked up the letters and began reading them. Some pulled out their phones and cameras to document the action. Others even joined in on the chanting.

But today’s “letter drop” was just the beginning. We plan on staging “letter drops” at GGP malls across the country until GGP meets our demands to the right to work with dignity, healthcare and education for all low-wage workers at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

What better time than the holidays to educate consumers about GGP’s human rights record. Stay tuned for videos from today’s action and more to come!