Celebrating May Day

A Brief History of May Day

May 1st, or May Day, is International Workers' Day. The first May Day mobilization took place 131 years ago, when workers rose up in the late 1800s to demand an eight-hour work day, and end to police brutality, and other rights for workers. In 1884, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions (the predecessor of the American Federation of Labor-AFL) called a nationwide movement for the eight-hour work day.

The FOTLU announced May 1, 1886 as the beginning of this movement. In Chicago, a massive, peaceful, multi-day mobilization began on May 1, 1886. Violence erupted on May 3, and police officers killed four workers and wounded 200. The Haymarket Affair became justification for anti-labor and anti-union government crackdowns across the country. In July 1889, May 1 became designated as International Labor Day in memory of the injustice of the Haymarket Affair.

---

May Day Mobilizations

We are happy to be participating in two actions for May Day this year. Details below.

Here to Stay: Rally in Support of the Safe Communities Act

When: Monday, May 1 | 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

Where: Massachusetts State House Steps

Join labor and immigrants' groups on International Workers' Day for a rally as we speak out against unfair deportations and call for the passage of the Safe Communities Act. The Safe Communities Act would Massachusetts state support for a Muslim registry and protect immigrants in the Commonwealth through a number of provision, including barring state, local, and campus police from participation in federal immigration enforcement activities. Click here to learn more about the Safe Communities Act and what you can do to support it.

East Boston, Chelsea, and Everett March

When: Monday, May 1 | 4:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m.

Where: March from Lo Presti Park in East Boston, to Chelsea City Hall

The immigrant communities of East Boston, Chelsea, and Everett will join forces once again to marches on Monday, May 1 in honor of International Workers' Day.

Logisitics: The NE JLC will be joining this coalition at Lo Presti Park at 4:00 p.m. Please get off at the Maverick stop on the Blue Line; there will be marshalls at Maverick Square to direct you to Lo Presti Park (a 5 minute walk). Please email us if you would like to carry a Jewish Labor Committee sign.

This year's event is symbolically being held in the City of Chelsea, which became a sanctuary city in June of 2007. The resolution that was approved by Chelsea's City Council states that the City of Chelsea respects all people irrespective of their race, ethnicity or immigration status. It also establishes that all Chelsea residents have the right to work without fear, receive fair wages, and access secure working conditions. The resolution concludes that unwarranted raids and consequential family separations will not be tolerated in Chelsea.

Support the Safe Communities Act: Call Elected Officials Today!

Please read this PDF and join us in actively advocating for the SCA.

You shall treat the stranger who resides with you as the native-born among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Creator your G-d. -Leviticus 19:34

You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. -Exodus 22:21

Because of our dedication to immigrants’ rights and human dignity, we here at the NE JLC strongly support the Safe Communities Act.The Safe Communities Act would protect the civil rights of all state residents by making sure our tax dollars are not used to help the Trump Administration deport immigrant families or create a Muslim registry. This critically important bill is sponsored by State Sen. Jamie Eldridge (S.1305) and State Rep. Juana Matías (H.3269).

Four Questions About Labor Rights

On March 23, we celebrated the 17th Annual Labor Seder, at which we celebrated the Passover holiday and the struggles of workers, drawing parallels between the liberation of Jews from slavery in ancient Egypt and current struggles of employees trying to win equitable pay and better working conditions.JewishBoston.com invited us to write four questions about labor rights as part of their collection of questions written by Jewish social justice organizations for the Passover Seder.We encourage you to read through our questions (below), to incorporate them into your Seder this year, and to use them to facilitate conversations with friends and family about workers' rights and the values of our Jewish traditions this Pesach.If you'd like to use our haggadah at your Seder, view and download a copy here.

---

Four Questions About Labor Rights

Like slaves, many workers have no say in their working conditions.Like slaves, workers give up their dignity to serve the bottom line. Passover is an ideal time to engage in the struggle for workers' rights and economic justice. We can look at what is going on with people who work in all kinds of jobs, including our own. This holiday calls us to become involved in advancing the dignity of workers.

Judaism values work and workers. Go around the table: What kind of work do you do, and do you feel respected at work?

We spend much of our lives working, so it's important that people are respected for their work, no matter their position. Respect for one's work is demonstrated in many ways, such as paying workers decent wages, listening to how they think the work could best be done and allowing time and flexibility for people to pay attention to their families and their own health. At the Jewish Labor Committee, we understand that low-wage workers and middle-class workers are often taken advantage of, and that it's important to stand up for all workers. We work in the Jewish community to gather support for workers.

Many people who have jobs don't get paid enough to pay for basic needs or work in unsafe conditions. What are the ways that unions, government policy and consumer demand can help change workers' conditions?

For the better part of a century, the Jewish Labor Committee has worked to engage the Jewish community in supporting union campaigns, legislation and consumer boycotts that have improved the lives of thousands of people. When businesses and legislators see that the Jewish community takes a stand on worker issues, it makes a significant difference. In the past year, the New England Jewish Labor Committee supported Verizon workers, janitors and Harvard University dining-hall workers to win union contracts that improved their wages, provided job security and improved or continued their health-care benefits. Currently, in the Massachusetts Legislature, we are working to pass an increase of the minimum wage to $15 an hour, as well as pass the Paid Family and Medical Leave Act to help employees when they or their family members are ill, or when a new child comes into the family.

The story of Passover teaches us that slavery is wrong. Where does slavery currently exist in the U.S. and in the world, and what's being done to stop it?

It's hard to imagine that slavery exists today, but it does, even in the United States-on farms, in prisons and in homes. In recent years, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, whose work the Jewish Labor Committee has been involved with for the past five years, exposed and halted slavery on farms in Florida. There are also domestic workers across the U.S. and in Massachusetts who are not allowed to leave the households where they work because their employers have taken their passports and cell phones to prevent them from leaving. The Massachusetts Coalition of Domestic Workers, along with the New England Jewish Labor Committee, is one of the groups fighting against this.Our criminal-justice system does not protect prisoners from working for nothing or almost nothing, producing large profits for corporations in much the same way African-American slaves worked as slaves in the U.S. before the Civil War. We have many social-action groups in Massachusetts synagogues that are working for criminal-justice reform. There are also organizations, such as the National Council of Jewish Women, who are working to stop the practice of girls and young women being taken into the sex industry against their will.

In our society, people who have different work lives than we do may be invisible to us. What might we gain, as individuals and as a society, by getting to know people who earn their living in different ways than we do?

Part of the reason our country is experiencing such a big political divide is that we don't have much real contact with people of different socio-economic classes than our own. As economic inequality has grown, we have less easy opportunities to build relationships with people who have different kinds of jobs. Reaching out to people and hearing each other's stories will help bridge that divide. This helps everyone feel more connected, hopeful and less alone.

---

Chag pesach same'ach! Happy Passover!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our 17th Annual Labor Seder last night!

We were so pleased to honor Barbara Madeloni, Rabbi Margie Klein Ronkin, and the Harvard dining workers of UNITE HERE! Local 26.

Here's how you can get involved in our work:

To see events that we are hosting, co-sponsoring, and/or participating in and to join us, visit our Google calendar and check your email regularly.To stay up-to-date on what we're doing, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.To become a member, click here.

To donate, click here.

Philadelphia Jewish Labor Committee Statement on the Desecration of Mt. Carmel Cemetery & Union Support for the Jewish Community

Via the Philadelphia Jewish Labor Committee:March 1, 2017:Today, the Philadelphia Jewish Labor Committee released the following statement in response to both the desecration of Mt. Carmel Cemetery and the outpouring of support for the Jewish community from the labor movement:“We are saddened and sickened by the recent desecration of Mt. Carmel Cemetery and anonymous bomb threats against Jewish institutions. It is clear that the current political climate has led to a rise in anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry. This is unacceptable and must be confronted at every possible moment. The Philadelphia Jewish Labor Committee stands with all who believe in tolerance, compassion, and an inclusive society. Together, we can stand up to those who would divide us along race, religion, or ethnicity.Although it is easy to fall into despair, we are deeply heartened by the outpouring of support for the Jewish community in the wake of these attacks. We would like to specifically highlight the support offered by the Philadelphia-area labor movement. The Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council has volunteered to repair the damage done to headstones free of charge. IBEW Local 98 has also offered to help repair the cemetery and install a security system to prevent future attacks. These actions represent the best of the labor movement and show true solidarity with the Jewish people.”

Register for the 17th Annual Labor Seder!

Register here!

The New England JEWISH LABOR COMMITTEE 

17^th Annual Labor Seder

Thursday, March 23, 2017

5:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Temple Israel

477 Longwood Avenue

Boston, MA 02215

Honoring: Barbara Madeloni, President, Massachusetts Teachers Association & Rabbi Margie Klein Ronkin, Moishe Kavod House & ECCO and recognizing Harvard University Dining Services Workers and UNITE HERE! Local 26Gold Co-Sponsors: UNITE HERE!, Massachusetts Teachers Association, IBEW 103Co-sponsors:  Boston JCRC, Massachusetts Board of Rabbis, Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, Moishe Kavod House, Boston Workmen’s CircleClick here to view the Facebook event page.