News and Updates from the New England Jewish Labor Committee
Join us at Temple Israel of Boston for a screening of the new film,
INEQUALITY FOR ALL featuring Robert Reich
On Thursday, May 1st, 7:00-9:00 PM
At Temple Israel, 477 Longwood Ave Boston, MA 02215
For more information about the film visit the website at www.inequalityforall.com.
Sponsored by the New England Jewish Labor Committee, Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, and Temple Israel
The Kolot Project, or the Voices Project, is a forum for New England’s Jewish community to think, discuss, and advocate for workers' rights and empowerment.The Kolot Project will be comprised of bi-weekly "guest posts" from a variety of people who provide a unique and important voice on issues at the intersection of Judaism and worker’s rights. We expect posts from workers, employers, labor organizers, and political and religious leaders. Our first blogger is incoming Co-Chair of the NE JLC, Rabbi Barbara Penzner. Our second blogger will be outgoing Massachusetts Secretary of Labor, Joanne Goldstein.Please visit the Kolot Project at www.kolotproject.net.
By Beth Healy
A number of them testified about poor treatment at the hands of some employers. Many described long hours and hard work done somewhat in the shadows, because they are working in private homes without the standards and protocols of a larger workplace.Often these workers, mostly women, are fearful of losing their jobs should they complain about their conditions, advocates said. Those who live with the families they work for can end up homeless if they are fired. 
Some members of the Massachusetts Coalition for Domestic Workers held a rally in the State House in support of a Domestic Workers Bill of RightsPaola Garcia, a Columbia native who lives in Boston, said she was denied sick time by a family with whom she lived for five years, caring for their three children - and her own daughter.She said she worked 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., six days a week, with only eight hours off on Saturday.She said she once went to the dentist for a root canal on her only day off, returning home from the appointment with a swollen face and in pain. Her employer, who was not named at the hearing, had a party to go to and asked her to take the kids out for pizza, she said."Working that many hours for so many years without a full day of rest in the week, or the right to go see a doctor when you need it, is wrong,'' Garcia said.Garcia wanted to leave, but there was a lot on the line: The employer had been "saving" $200 of her $600 paycheck each week for 2½ years, to give to her later in a lump sum. When she finally quit, the family did not pay her the money, which by then added up to thousands of dollars, she said.Steven Tolman, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO labor group, urged legislators to move the bill forward, asking, "Who would oppose standards, basic standards of dignity and humanity?''He said they should make sure "that indentured service doesn't exist here in Massachusetts, that slavery doesn't exist here in Massachusetts.''Two professional women also testified about the need for protections for domestic workers, saying those workers were vital to their ability to pursue careers. Eleanor Shore, a physician and former dean of faculty affairs at Harvard Medical School, said her family had employed the same woman for 49 years."My professional career would not have been possible without the excellent dedicated child care and household assistance she provided,'' Shore said.Lydia Edwards, director of legal services at the Brazilian Immigrant Center in Boston, frequently represents domestic workers in disputes with their employers.She said many of the problems involved "job creep,'' an increase in work hours and tasks without extra pay. In the most extreme cases, she said, workers are subjected to sexual harassment or fired unfairly.Gaps in the current law leave "domestic workers who work in isolation and behind closed doors vulnerable to exploitation and abuse,'' Edwards said in her testimony.California, Hawaii, and New York have passed similar bills of rights, according to advocates for the workers.The measure, if approved by the Legislature's Committee on Labor and Workforce Development, would likely go before other committees before being considered by the full House or Senate.Beth Healy can be reached at Beth.Healy@globe.com.http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/11/13/domestic-workers-testify-state-house-hearing-for-bill-rights/OQcfI3dlKrEmvcf9k8EdDJ/story.html
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
10:00 AM
(Press Conference at 9:30 am)
MA Statehouse, Room B-1
Public Hearing before the Joint Labor and Workforce Development
Committee on the MA Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights!
Domestic workers are the backbone of our economy. Nannies, caregivers and house-cleaners keep our communities running by supporting our families and our homes, but have been undervalued and left to work without many key legal protections. As a result, many are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation on the job.The Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights amends Massachusetts state labor law to guarantee basic work standards and protections: 24 hours off per 7-day calendar week; meal and rest breaks; limited vacation and sick days; parental leave; notice of termination; protection from discrimination, sexual harassment, illegal charges for food and lodging and eviction without notice; and a means of enforcing these standards. Domestic employers under the bill do not include state regulated staffing agencies or the employers of those who work as casual babysitters.If you can come to the hearing or want to get involved in the campaign to pass the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, please contact Marya Axner, 617-227-0888 or NewEnglandJLC@jewishlabor.org
From the Jewish Labor Committee (National):
Sign Petition to Tell Walmart to Sign on to the Bangladesh Safety Accord
The world watched in horror as over 1,100 garment workers were killed in April when a substandard factory in Bangladesh collapsed while they were at their jobs. Similar tragedies are killing and injuring men and women in many places around the globe where labor costs are low and working conditions are unconscionable.
It took this building's collapse, following a disastrous fire in Bangladesh earlier this year, as it took the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York over a century ago, to focus the attention of the world on addressing the need for better safety standards for those who make the clothes the world wears.
One important first step is an international agreement of major international retailers designed to stop such disasters from happening again. Already such well-known firms as H&M Hennes & Mauritz, Carrefour, Marks & Spencer, Inditex, PVH (which owns the Tommy Hilfiger brand), Loblaw (owner of Joe Fresh brand) have signed on to this accord, that provides for a binding, independent inspection program, mandatory improvements in workplace safety, and binding arbitration enforceable in the courts of the country where a company is based. Yet, Walmart is opting to do its own unenforceable audit of factory conditions, a type of self-auditing that has proved to be ineffective.We're calling on the management of Walmart to join the international agreement of major retailers to commit to collectively stop such disasters from happening again. And we want you to join us.Because so many of the world's garments are made by contractors and subcontractors, and retailers often do not track where and how products sold under their name are being made, it is imperative that there is a unified, enforceable agreement of all of the major retailers-including Walmart-to improve fire and building safety in such countries as Bangladesh, Cambodia, Vietnam, Pakistan and other countries where so much of our clothes are made.Join us in calling on the management of Walmart to put basic principles of responsibility and decency to work by joining this international agreement-now.Sign our online petition here.Thank you.Stuart Appelbaum, PresidentRita Freedman, Acting Executive DirectorArieh Lebowitz, Associate DirectorMarya Axner, New England Regional Director
UNITE HERE has reached a national agreement with Hyatt Hotels. This is a huge step forward.However, although UNITE HERE has reached a national agreement with Hyatt Hotels, there are still many issues to resolve, including attaining justice for the Hyatt workers in Boston. The boycott will continue for the three Hyatt Hotels in Boston: Hyatt Regency Boston, Hyatt Regency Cambridge, and Hyatt Harborside.The national agreement will go into effect upon the ratification of the Hyatt union contracts in San Francisco, Hawaii, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Pending worker approval, those contracts will be in line with the city standards and include substantial wage increases, quality health and pension benefits, and job security. The agreement establishes a process for Hyatt workers at a number of hotels to gain union representation through a fair process, and creates a framework for an ongoing relationship between UNITE HERE and Hyatt.Pending associate approval, the contracts will provide retroactive wage increases and maintain quality health care and pension benefits. The proposed new contracts would cover associates into 2018. - See HERE for more.The work of the New England Jewish Labor Committee has been an essential part of achieving this agreement. It has been almost four years that we have been supporting the workers at Hyatt Hotels and we are happy to have made a significant difference on this campaign.We need to remember that it has been the thousands of courageous acts of the workers and their allies that have pressured Hyatt to come to this initial agreement.We in the Jewish community in Boston have to continue our support until the Hyatt workers here in Boston secure decent wages, benefits, safe working conditions, and respect on the job.Sadly that is not yet the case. An agreement will also need to be worked out about the Hyatt 100 who lost their jobs almost four years ago.The national agreement with Hyatt makes achieving justice for the Boston Hyatt workers more possible than before. We will keep you posted as plans develop.WHAT YOU CAN DO1. Please observe the boycott of the three Boston Hyatts, (Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Regency Cambridge, and Hyatt Harborside).2. Please avoid boycotted hotels when you travel and preferably stay at union hotels. Click here to find out which hotels are boycotted hotels and which are union hotels.3. Please organize your synagogue, other Jewish institution or workplace to observe the boycott in Boston. If you want to a speaker on this topic or other assistance, please contact the New England Jewish Labor Committee: 617 227-0888 or NewEnglandJLC@jewishlabor.org4. PLEASE observe socially responsible event planning. Make sure you have protective language concerning labor disputes in your hotel contract. Such protective language allows you to nullify the contract in case of a labor dispute without a penalty. Inmex is a non-profit organization that will help you figure out the details of securing such language in a hotel contract. There is not a cost for this service.Even though we have not yet gained justice for the Hyatt workers in Boston, this agreement warrants celebration. We want to congratulate and thank all our supporters. We particularly want to thank Rabbi Barbara Penzner, Chair of the New England Jewish Labor Committee Rabbinic Advisory Council, for her continued leadership on this issue. Her commitment has been unwavering. We want to thank the thousands of rabbis and Jewish community members who signed petitions, participated in the boycott, wrote letters, and came to rallies and protests.
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