In the aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak, we hosted a town hall in which members of the Jewish community were able to ask experts from the Attorney General's office, Greater Boston Legal Services, and the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Health and Safety questions about unemployment insurance, paid leave, and safe workplaces. You can watch it here:
Prayer for Workers in a Time of Pandemic
Prayer for Workers in a Time of Pandemic
R. Michael Rothbaum
Our God, and God of all Life,
We call you Oseh, Maker[1]
Yotzer, Crafter[2]
Poel, Worker.[3]
You, Who labored to build this world in which we live
Who calls us to be Po’alei Tzedek, workers of justice[4] —
We call to you
Be with all those who labor in the midst of this global pandemic.
Shelter those who grow our food in the field.
Guard those who bring healing in lab and clinic, in hospital and pharmacy.
Guide in peace those who deliver basic needs by road, track, and air.
Uplift those bent low bearing loads in manufacturing and sanitation.
Send love to those who connect us through wire, wave, and cable.
Provide companionship to those who work in solitude,
ease to those who work in anguish,
safety to those who step into harm’s way,
dignity to all whose labor benefits us.
As they raise up their souls to grant us all life[5]
may we repay them in fairness and righteousness.
May our lawmakers and employers assure them a living wage,
health care and sick leave
education, documentation, citizenship
and the right to organize.
All the rights,
human and Divine
due to all beings
created in Your image.
And let us say: Amen
[1] Job 25:2
[2] Genesis 2:7
[3] Exodus 15:17
[4] Psalms 15:2
[5] Deuteronomy 24:15
The 20th Annual Labor Seder - Save the Date!
We are on the move at the New England Jewish Labor Committee! We are getting ready for our 20th Annual Labor Seder. Please savethedate: Sunday, March 22, 2020 starting at 3pm!And note that we have now literally moved! Our new address is 11 Beacon Street, Suite 722 in Boston, MA 02108.We look forward to celebrating big changes with you on March 22.
New England Jewish Labor Committee organizes interfaith rally at Harvard
At a rally in Harvard Yard today, rabbis and interfaith clergy members called on Harvard University President Lawrence Bacow to meet student workers’ demand for a contract with fair pay, quality healthcare that covers dental and mental health, and protections from harassment and discrimination. Following the rally, rabbis affiliated with the New England Jewish Labor Committee (NEJLC) personally delivered a letter to President Bacow signed by more than sixty rabbis from across New England, and an interfaith group of Harvard Chaplains delivered a letter in support of student workers’ fight for a fair contract.“All human beings deserve dignity and respect at work, and that includes student workers. The Jewish tradition affirms the obligation of employers to provide a living wage to workers and to protect them from exploitation and neglect. It is in that spirit, as well as out of my concern as a Harvard-Radcliffe alum, that I call on President Bacow to heed student workers’ very reasonable and just demands on pay, healthcare, and protections from harassment and discrimination,” said Rabbi Toba Spitzer, of Congregation Dorshei Tzedek in West Newton, and immediate Past President of the Massachusetts Board of Rabbis.
The letter the New England Jewish Labor Committee delivered to President Bacow provides a full endorsement of the contract proposals student workers are demanding in a contract. The NEJLC letter concludes, “As a preeminent institution of higher learning, it is unbecoming of Harvard University to undervalue those who support students in the classrooms, libraries, and research labs every day. We urge you to live up to the high standards for which you are known, and negotiate a fair contract immediately.”If you are interested in getting involved with the Harvard grad student workers strike, email Emma Rose at emma@jewishlabor.org!
Victory on the Vineyard
Bus drivers on Martha's Vineyard were on strike for fair wages and safe working conditions. They had gone five years without any raises. But now they they are back to work having approved their first-ever contract, which calls for pay increases and seniority protections.
"...The Vineyard Transit Authority strike has produced an inspiring victory for Massachusetts. There was a great show of leadership from the ATU International as well as a groundswell of support from labor leaders from many unions - they came together united in support for the VTA drivers' struggle for justice," said MA AFL-CIO President Steven Tolman.
This is a big victory and just goes to show that when we fight, we win.
Having a Jewish voice support these workers was important: we needed to show that it was not just labor unions supporting the bus drivers, but communities around the Commonwealth doing their part for justice.
Big Win: Backpay for Domestic Workers!
We at NE Jewish Labor Committee are thrilled at this news!
From NPR: AuPair Sponsor Agencies Settle Wage Lawsuit, Offer $65.5 Million In Back Pay
"Underpaid au pairs who have worked in homes across America, taking care of children, often cooking, cleaning, playing chauffeur and providing a range of other duties, will finally receive back pay they say they are owed.
On Wednesday, 15 of the companies authorized by the State Department to recruit young foreigners to provide low-cost child care in U.S. households reached a $65.5 million settlement in a class-action law suit filed by nearly a dozen au pairs in a Denver federal court.
About 100,000 former au pairs who worked in the U.S. between 2009 and 2018 are covered under the deal, which still needs to be approved by the court...."
Read more here.
From a statement by our partners, Matahari Women's Workers Center:
"....Au pairs come to the U.S. on J-1 visas as part of a cultural exchange visitor program under the U.S. Department of State. Typically young women, au pairs provide in-home childcare for up to 45 hours per week. For this work, they receive weekly stipends of $195.75, or what amounts to $4.35 per hour. Au pairs are classified for immigration purposes as exchange visitors, but when they are working to provide essential childcare services to host families, they are underpaid employees....
The Boston-based Matahari Women Workers' Center, which organizes thousands of au pairs, nannies, and other domestic workers, applauds the au pairs who have bravely brought forward this case and their legal team. In Massachusetts, however, au pairs continue to fight for basic labor protections, including inclusion in the 2014 Massachusetts Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights. ....
...Cambridge-based Cultural Care Au Pair, a sponsor agency and affiliate of the global corporation, Education First, has led multiple failed attempts to remove au pairs from the protections of this law, arguing that au pairs are not in fact workers, despite the 45 hours of weekly child care they provide. Thanks to the organizing work of au pairs and others domestic workers, au pairs have remain protected. Cultural Care has since sued the Massachusetts Attorney General in an effort to remove itself from the law. A federal district court ruled against Cultural Care and found that au pairs are covered by the law. Cultural Care is now appealing that decision. Matahari awaits this important ruling and anticipates that it will confirm that Massachusetts au pairs are covered under the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights and entitled to receive the minimum wage and overtime under Massachusetts law....."