Jewish Labor Committee

Starbucks workers in Nanuet, NY, right after they won their union elections.
(Right to left; Adriana Valdez Escarcega, Sophia Farias, Furquan Khan, Cristian Ramirez)
Click here to watch this discussion.

June 20, 2022 - The Jewish Labor Committee had a special conversation about this historic worker-led unionizing effort, run by people who are also working their regularly scheduled shifts at work. More than 150 [update: now close to 190] Starbucks stores are now unionized - six months ago, none of them were. And workers at over 100 additional Starbucks locations have petitioned for union elections.
In a discussion with Arieh Lebowitz and Martin Schwartz of the JLC, hear David Melman, an Executive Vice President of Workers United, and Cori Schimko, who works at Starbucks in Nanuet, New York and helped lead her shop to a landslide union victory earlier in June: the first Starbucks in Rockland County to unionize. Employees there hope a union will help secure better wages, benefits and give them a voice in decision-making at their workplace. Click here to watch this powerful discussion of one part of the campaign to build barista power across the map, store by store.

Posted by Arieh Lebowitz at 09:56 PM | Permalink

[l-r: Michael Bauduy, Brittney-Willis Bauduy, Andy Banks, and Arieh Lebowitz]

June 18, 2022: Washington, DC - JLC was proud to join with many others, from across the USA, at the Mass Poor Peoples and Low-Wage Workers' Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls, where we stood in solidarity with the 140 million poor and low wage workers demanding justice!

There are millions of poor and struggling people and communities in this country. We marched to demand a living wage, affordable health care, decent housing and a democratic society that guarantees dignity and respect for all.
During the march, hosted by the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, we came together in Washington, D.C., with state leaders, faith communities, moral allies and partnering organizations to not only take substantive action, but also to make our voices heard and demand an end to systemic inequality in all its forms.

We joined in declaring an ongoing, committed moral movement to:
* shift the moral narrative;
* build power;
* make real policies to fully address poverty and low wealth from the bottom up.

The United States of America must live up to its possibilities and promises so every person living here can live a life of dignity and respect.

Posted by Arieh Lebowitz at 06:00 PM | Permalink