JLC Fights for Workers Rights in the U.S. and Human Rights in Iran
Friday, September 11, 2009 -- Yesterday, the Jewish Labor Committee brought leaders from California, Pennsylvania, and New York to Washington, DC, to participate in two major advocacy efforts for human rights at home and abroad.
l-r: Rev. Dr. Clarence Pemberton (Philadelphia), Rabbi George Stern (Philadelphia), and Father Jack O'Malley (Pittsburgh), at the office of Senator Robert Casey.
With hundreds of labor, environmental, religious and community groups in coalition with American Rights At Work, JLC leaders went to Capitol Hill advocating that Congress pass the Employee Free Choice Act. The act would make it easier for workers to join unions, effectively penalize companies that intimidate workers for organizing, and expedite the realization of contracts between employers and their employees.
From the key contested states of Pennsylvania and California, we were represented by Rabbi George Stern, JLC Philadelphia Director Rosalind Spigel, JLC Western Region President and business owner Floyd Glen-Lambert, and Leslie Gersicoff, Executive Director of the Jewish Labor Committee Western Region Leslie Gersicoff. [For more about Jewish advocacy on EFCA, see the Jewish Labor Committee's 2009 Labor Day statement here.]
While our EFCA team was meeting with 15 Congressional members (from Pennsylvania: Senators Robert Casey and Arlen Specter, Representatives Kathy Dahlkemper, Jason Altmire, Joe Sestak, Robert Brad, Mike Doyle and Chaka Fattah; from California: Senators Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, Representatives Barbara Lee, Diane Watson, Bob Filner, Dana Rohrabacher and Henry Waxman), JLC Executive Committee members Elihu Davison of Morristown, N.J. and Gerry Sommer of Washington, D.C. joined JLC Executive Director Sybil Sanchez at the National Jewish Leadership Advocacy Day on Iran. The event was convened to advocate against a nuclear Iran through the National Inter-Agency Task Force on Iran, with representation from diverse local and national Jewish communal institutions across the country. The Task Force has been endorsed by all major religious movements within Judaism.
Sanchez delivered the following statement to the over 300 Jewish leaders present:
The Jewish Labor Committee is celebrating 75-years of connecting Jews and labor in the struggle for human rights.
We stand in solidarity today with those on the forefront of that struggle in Iran, be they minorities, women or workers. I would like to convey greetings from Stuart Appelbaum, President of both the Jewish Labor Committee and the Retail, Wholesale Department Store Union.
Along with RWDSU's support in this effort, we are grateful for the support of the American Federation of Teachers and the AFL-CIO. AFT President Randi Weingarten couldn't join us today but we welcome her representative David Dorn, director of the AFT's international affairs department.
President Weingarten is en route to Pittsburgh for as you might know, the AFL-CIO will be having its 26th Constitutional Convention there. Consequently, AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeny cannot join us either, but we do have a statement to deliver from the Federation:
"The AFL-CIO, on behalf of its nearly ten million members, repeats the call for full democratic rights for all Iranians, including freedom of association and freedom of assembly. The government of Iran must cease all violent repression, must release all imprisoned trade unionists; and must recognize all independent workers organizations in Iran. We urge the government of Iran to respect workers rights and stop repression against peaceful demonstrations." [For more information on the AFL-CIO's position in defense of workers' rights and freedom of association in Iran, see here.]