Jewish Labor Committee

New England Jewish Labor Committee's 2016 Labor Seder Photo by Michael Massey

April 20, 2016 - 3,500 years ago, the Hebrew slaves gained their freedom from bondage in ancient Egypt. Their liberation has been celebrated for over two millennia with the holiday of Passover. The Jewish Labor Committee celebrates Passover with our own unique flair: our annual Labor Seders! These not only serve to celebrate Passover, but to also bring together local leaders of the labor movement and their counterparts in the organized Jewish community to "break matza," explore the story of the ancient Israelites from captivity to freedom, and relate that to today's efforts to secure dignity and security for working men and women, their families and communities. This year, JLC has organized, sponsored or assisted labor seders in Boston, MA, West Orange, NJ, New York, NY, Washington, DC, Madison, WI, and Philadelphia, PA.

This year's New England JLC Labor Seder had a great turnout, with over 200 attendees in Boston, held at the headquarters of IBEW Local 103. For this year's seder, the NE JLC again produced a new local version of the classic JLC Haggadah. During the ceremony, each of the four cups of wine honored past and current struggles in the Jewish community and the labor movement, including the Fight for $15 and social, criminal, and economic justice, paid sick-leave, paid family leave, and regular work schedules. At this year's New England Labor Seder, Attorney General Maura Healey received the Clara Lemich Shavelson Award for her work in support of earned sick time and the statewide Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. Rabbis David Lerner and Victor Reinstein both received Abraham Joshua Heschel Awards for Rabbinic Justice and Leadership; both have played significant roles in the Massachusetts Board of Rabbis as it goes on record in support of working men and women.

Jewish Labor Committee Educators' Chapter / UFT Jewish Heritage Committee's 2016 Labor Seder in NYC

The JLC Educators' Chapter (also known in New York City as the United Federation of Teachers' Jewish Heritage Committee) held its Labor Seder at UFT headquarters; hewing closely to the JLC Passover Haggadah, the 70 participants include not only Educators' Chapter and other UFT people, but also representatives of the Public Employees Federation of New York.

New Jersey's Labor Seder, held this year in West Orange, NJ's Jewish Community Center, had a great turnout as well, with over 50 people participating. While they explored some of the struggles noted above, guest speaker Luz Delgado from New Jersey's Working Families Alliance also focused on the devastation wrought by the recent earthquake in Ecuador. The most poignant highlight of the night were the remarks of Holocaust survivor Ruth Ravina, who spent her early childhood in three concentration camps. She told her story about how she and her mother survived at one of the camps by hiding in the barracks. After World War II, the Jewish Labor Committee gave her mother funding to start a soup kitchen in Poland. They endured an arduous journey from Poland to Sweden, then to Canada, to finally arrive in the United States, where her mother was honored by the JLC in 1951.

JLC was also a sponsor of the massive Greater Washington DC Labor Seder, the first one of this holiday season, with 350 people in attendance; the lion's share of the organizing of DC's Labor Seders has been done for many years by that city's Jews United For Justice. This Seder, held at DC's Adas Israel Synagogue, focused on the Fight for 15, paid sick days, the need for workers to have consistent work schedules, and paid family leave. And we were fortunate to be able to assist in sponsoring Madison Wisconsin's Labor Seder, a project of the local Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice, held at the Beth Israel Center, had 70 people attending and focused on the Fight for 15, and the challenge of anti-labor legislation.

The last Labor Seder of this season -- as far as we know! -- is being organized in Philadelphia, PA, and will take place April 27th.

2016 Labor Seder in Madison, WI Photo courtesy of the Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice

Posted by Arieh Lebowitz at 03:45 PM | Permalink

April 15, 2016: New York, NY -- Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Jewish Labor Committee, just issued the following statement:

The Jewish Labor Committee stands with the 36,000 Verizon workers -- members of the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers -- who are on strike across the country after months of working without a contract. Despite earning $39 billion over the last three years and $1.8 billion in profits each month this year, Verizon is proposing to contract out more customer service and sales calls to centers in lower-cost places, and insist that technicians leave their families for two or more months at a time.

Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam made $18 million last year alone. That's more than 200 times what the average Verizon worker makes. At a time when the middle class is being gutted, Verizon refuses to negotiate in good faith to ensure that its workers can preserve their good jobs. These workers deserve better.

Posted by Arieh Lebowitz at 12:19 PM | Permalink

Photo by Ryan Torok, of the Jewish Journal.

April 7, 2016: Los Angeles, CA - Leslie Gersicoff, Executive Director of the Jewish Labor Committee Western Region, spoke in opposition to the Hindenburg Park sign at a public meeting on April 7th.

At issue was a recently installed sign at a Los Angeles County park where Nazi supporters once rallied. The 6-foot-high sign, reading "Welcome to Hindenburg Park," was installed at the entrance of Crescenta Valley Community Regional Park in February. Although a historical plaque previously installed inside of the park explains the site's historical ties to the German-American community, nothing mentions the pro-Nazi rallies organized by the German American Bund that were held there during the 1930s and 1940s.

For more information, see "Hindenburg Park sign debated at meeting."

Posted by Arieh Lebowitz at 08:55 AM | Permalink

April 14, 2016: Brooklyn, NY - What does the death of Akai Gurley have to do with the Fight for $15 and poor communities? These all relate more than you think. In April, the "Fight for 15" campaign's global day of action in New York City focused not only on raising the federal minimum wage and gaining the right to unionize, but also on racial injustice brought on by poverty -- and poverty wages -- and the larger issues of racial inequality and racial injustice in the United States. The case of Akai Gurley, and his death, the focus of a mid-day rally in Brooklyn, is a notable example.

In November 2014, Akai Gurley was fatally shot by police officer Peter Liang, who was patrolling a dark stairwell of a Brooklyn housing project. Liang was convicted in February 2016 of manslaughter and official misconduct for firing the shot that ricocheted off a wall and struck Gurley, standing a floor below, in the heart.

The morning of the day of the demonstration, Liang stood trial for manslaughter and sentencing on whether or not he would receive jail time. The Jewish Labor Committee, along with the New York City Central Labor Council, Justice for Akai Gurley, and Black Lives Matter came out to support the family of Akai Gurley, connecting this call for justice with the campaign to raise the minimum wage to $15 / per hour, and the right to unionize.

It is often shown that where there poverty there is a high crime rate. The current federal minimum wage of well under $10, coupled with a tough job market, especially for people with less than a college education and relatively few marketable skills, poverty is often the result; . The Pink Houses, notoriously a place with both crime and poverty, is where Gurley lived and lost his life. Far too many of those that live in poor neighborhoods have dealt with police harassment and brutality. Had he - or others living in low-income housing developments such as these had a decent, living, wage, it is doubtful that there would be such a high crime rate; police officers would have less reason to assume that many in the area are criminals, are dangerous. Perhaps Akai Gurley, and too many like him, would still be alive today.

POSTSCRIPT: Raising the minimum wage to a living wage is only the part of an effective effort to end racial and economic injustices in our society. Even as the Brooklyn Supreme Court has ruled that Peter Liang will not face jail time for the death of Akai Gurley, we must continue to make our voices heard, and continue to fight for decent wages, decent living conditions, and racial equality. The Jewish Labor Committee will continue to support the end of these injustices.

Posted by Arieh Lebowitz at 02:35 PM | Permalink

JLC Western Region Executive Director Leslie Gersicoff joined AFM Local 47 musicians and union officials March 29th for an early morning leafleting outside a "Transparent" desert location shoot in Pearblossom, CA. Less than two weeks later, the show producers signed on to cover musicians under an AFM contract less than two weeks later. Photo by AFM Local 47 Communications Director Linda A. Rapka

April 11, 2016: Los Angeles, CA - "Transparent" is an Amazon show produced by Picrow. For some time, AFM 47 musicians, union officials, and their supporters in the larger community were calling for Picrow to treat musicians fairly, specifically, asking Picrow to treat them the same as it treats the other working people on the show. Before today's announcement that the agreement had been reached, while the actors, writers, directors and crew received union wages, benefits and protections, musicians were not covered by a labor contract.

Producers at Picrow agreed to sign on to the AFM television and new media agreement after musicians from the Los Angeles musicians union and their community allies spoke out publicly late last month, pointing out the unequal treatment of musicians who were not covered under a labor contract unlike all the actors, writers, directors, crew and other workers.

The new contract covers the employment of professional musicians, arrangers, copyists, leaders, conductors, and sideline musicians, guaranteeing they will receive fair wages, benefits, health care, pension, and other union protections.

"We thank Transparent producers at Picrow for stepping up to treat musicians as equal workers," says AFM Local 47 President John Acosta. "Musicians contribute as much to a production as all other workers, and we are happy that those working on the series will receive fair treatment, dignity and respect in the workplace."

Posted by Arieh Lebowitz at 03:17 PM | Permalink