Despite how glorious it was to hear the mission of organized labor within the confines of Orientation at North Park University the practical realities of organized labor have personified the decline of organized labor in the workplace. The UFCW Local in rural Indiana has a tainted track record amongst their members at the Tyson meatpacking plant. When I tell them that the UFCW provided the initial funding and direction of the center workers begin becoming skeptical of the center.
For the last few years the workers at the Tyson meatpacking plant have complained about the lack of attention the union reps and stewards direct to their needs. Some will accuse that one of the reps works for Tyson rather than the union. Since I have arrived in Logansport, the breakdown in the relationship between the reps and the workers are a two-edge sword.
I read an article in the Social Policy magazine http://www.socialpolicy.org/ called "Overcoming Addition" 12 steps that labor unions need to do to overcome the corporate, power structure that they are organizing against to better the lives of its members. Reps and organizers have not been doing a good job at building leadership amongst their members and the members are expecting the union to do everything for them and not realizing that being a member of a union requires work on their behalf.
Many of the workers do not attend the meetings at the union halls and pay $25 a month for their dues without demanding anything in return and some workers can care less.
Even though the center is in its earliest phases I hope that it will be a place that the community and workers can develop leadership qualities can build positive, effective change and have them realize their own power.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
dinner with workers and religious leaders is building toward public prayer vigil action
I have had the honor this summer of working at a placement that on some levels may seem a bit dreamy: a labor union that has a staff person devoted to mobilizing community religious support for the workers at Resurrection Hospitals in Chicago who are trying to form their union. In other words, this is a union that has put a high value on the power of the voice of religous leaders-- to be of service to winning justice for workers. This AFSCME Local 31 has been an extraordinary place to jump in, to learn, to grow, and to contribute the strengths that I may bring, to their efforts already underway in harnessing the support of concerned people of faith- to help workers form a union, in support of improving their standard of living and working. I couldn't have imagined being more welcomed, resourced, supported, and nurtured in a summer internship, in a new 'culture'. I have had the pleasure of working alongside another intern, also placed here at AFSCME for the summer, who is from the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs. It has added a nice element of daily interfaith collaboration, as we learn together about each other's spheres... she as a rabbinical student preparing to be a cantor, and me in my Protestant United Church of Christ (UCC) circles, as I preparation for ordination to be a local parish minister in the UCC.
I want to offer one example of the ways that this site showed me that they were invested in a positive learning experience for their interns. They had stated, before I even got here, that they are invested in fostering future connections between faith leaders and labor movements- and they hoped that my internship might help plant seeds that will help more of us become allies over the long haul. So I was not entirely surprised, although I was wholly impressed, that my supervisor laid out a specific project for this summer, that she imagined would be 'do-able', from start (including planning, and mapping it out), to finish (involving executing it, and then evaluating it,) all within the (what is passing so quickly!) few weeks that we were interning.
Since many of you-- Seminary Summer and IWJ interns, plus IWJ staff, and IWJ national conference attenders, were the ones who helped launch a great start to our summer at AFSCME with your participation in the downtown Chicago action on June 19, 2007 at the Catholic Health Association (CHA) meeting, I am happy to give you an update on what has been happening since then. Even with hundreds of us picketing outside the CHA meeting, we have not received a response from Sr. Carol Keehan of the CHA, and so we have continued to support workers with next steps. We are building toward two exciting events coming up as part of a particular campaign addressing the issues of low wage workers at the nine different Resurrection Hospitals in what has now become a corporatized chain in Chicago- the second largest in the city. While the hospital system has profited, the workers in the food service, laundry, and environmental services are only making $9 per hour, on which to raise their families.
I recently went on a home visit with one of the AFSCME organizers and met Leon, a part time food service worker, who is struggling with diabetes. He states he has to choose each month whether his wages should go to rent or to health insurance because he can not coverboth on his income. (I did well to bite my tongue as a stipended intern and student who can really relate to that, yes? Do I hear an "Amen"!?) Anyway, Leon is a marginalized worker who takes great risks to step forward, but nonetheless, he has signed a petition to ask the CEO of the hospital system to increase the hourly wages, and allow the profits being made, to trickle down to those such as himself, who do the often un-noticed work of pushing food trays, or cleaning bathrooms. He even gave an interview, complete with his picture, to an AFSCME newsletter, reporting on low wage workers struggles.
For any of you who are Chicago-based, please accept my invitation to join one or both of our upcoming actions where you will hear from Leon and other workers who are asking for a living wage. You will also be joining other religious leaders of all different faiths, to stand with their Catholic brothers and sisters who have asked that this (after almost five years) becomes an interfaith religious effort- to help amplify their critiique of the mission of Resurrection Hospitals in Chicago.
August 1st is an informal dinner at 6 pm at AFSCME at the 5509 N. Cumberland Ave. Chicago office, for religious leaders and workers (as mentioned, from some of the lowest paying posts in the hospitals... laundry, food service, and environmental services.) This will be an intimate and informative chance to hear directly from workers, as well as connect with these other interfaith leaders who are becoming increasingly concerned about what is happening at Resurrection.
A significant portion of these service workers (almost 1/3 of the workers!) have signed a petition this summer with AFSCME, asking CEO Joseph Toomey for a wage increase. We have not gotten a response yet, and in the past, the experience of the workers has been that a reply may not come any time soon!
So, if there is no response, workers and religious leaders and AFSCME are going to bring the petition of signatures right to the Sisters of the Resurrection in management. So in preparation that this will be necessary, we also want to invite you to join with us on August 6, at 6 pm, for a Prayer Vigil at the Resurrection Medical Center as a delegation brings the petition directly to the Sisters of the Resurrection at their residence at 7435 W. Talcott Ave. Chicago 60657.
I know that those of you at work in Chicago have incredibly demanding schedules as well, so I hope that if you can not come, that this will serve as a little boost of an update (for all interns since we were together at our orientation) as to what has been happening on the campaign for workers from Chicago in their effort to form a union with AFSCME to put a stop to the injustices, such as un-livably low wages, from Resurrection Hospitals.
These two events will be the culminating focal points of the internship this summer for myself and the intern from JCUA. Our work has been to help build broader religious leader support, to offer another tier of religious voices, as the Catholic ones become integrated with other voices of the faithful. We are looking forward to August 1 and August 6, after working on the turn out on many different levels all summer (such as all the relationship building that is so hard to measure- whether it be 1:1's or calls, etc!) I will keep you posted.
I want to offer one example of the ways that this site showed me that they were invested in a positive learning experience for their interns. They had stated, before I even got here, that they are invested in fostering future connections between faith leaders and labor movements- and they hoped that my internship might help plant seeds that will help more of us become allies over the long haul. So I was not entirely surprised, although I was wholly impressed, that my supervisor laid out a specific project for this summer, that she imagined would be 'do-able', from start (including planning, and mapping it out), to finish (involving executing it, and then evaluating it,) all within the (what is passing so quickly!) few weeks that we were interning.
Since many of you-- Seminary Summer and IWJ interns, plus IWJ staff, and IWJ national conference attenders, were the ones who helped launch a great start to our summer at AFSCME with your participation in the downtown Chicago action on June 19, 2007 at the Catholic Health Association (CHA) meeting, I am happy to give you an update on what has been happening since then. Even with hundreds of us picketing outside the CHA meeting, we have not received a response from Sr. Carol Keehan of the CHA, and so we have continued to support workers with next steps. We are building toward two exciting events coming up as part of a particular campaign addressing the issues of low wage workers at the nine different Resurrection Hospitals in what has now become a corporatized chain in Chicago- the second largest in the city. While the hospital system has profited, the workers in the food service, laundry, and environmental services are only making $9 per hour, on which to raise their families.
I recently went on a home visit with one of the AFSCME organizers and met Leon, a part time food service worker, who is struggling with diabetes. He states he has to choose each month whether his wages should go to rent or to health insurance because he can not coverboth on his income. (I did well to bite my tongue as a stipended intern and student who can really relate to that, yes? Do I hear an "Amen"!?) Anyway, Leon is a marginalized worker who takes great risks to step forward, but nonetheless, he has signed a petition to ask the CEO of the hospital system to increase the hourly wages, and allow the profits being made, to trickle down to those such as himself, who do the often un-noticed work of pushing food trays, or cleaning bathrooms. He even gave an interview, complete with his picture, to an AFSCME newsletter, reporting on low wage workers struggles.
For any of you who are Chicago-based, please accept my invitation to join one or both of our upcoming actions where you will hear from Leon and other workers who are asking for a living wage. You will also be joining other religious leaders of all different faiths, to stand with their Catholic brothers and sisters who have asked that this (after almost five years) becomes an interfaith religious effort- to help amplify their critiique of the mission of Resurrection Hospitals in Chicago.
August 1st is an informal dinner at 6 pm at AFSCME at the 5509 N. Cumberland Ave. Chicago office, for religious leaders and workers (as mentioned, from some of the lowest paying posts in the hospitals... laundry, food service, and environmental services.) This will be an intimate and informative chance to hear directly from workers, as well as connect with these other interfaith leaders who are becoming increasingly concerned about what is happening at Resurrection.
A significant portion of these service workers (almost 1/3 of the workers!) have signed a petition this summer with AFSCME, asking CEO Joseph Toomey for a wage increase. We have not gotten a response yet, and in the past, the experience of the workers has been that a reply may not come any time soon!
So, if there is no response, workers and religious leaders and AFSCME are going to bring the petition of signatures right to the Sisters of the Resurrection in management. So in preparation that this will be necessary, we also want to invite you to join with us on August 6, at 6 pm, for a Prayer Vigil at the Resurrection Medical Center as a delegation brings the petition directly to the Sisters of the Resurrection at their residence at 7435 W. Talcott Ave. Chicago 60657.
I know that those of you at work in Chicago have incredibly demanding schedules as well, so I hope that if you can not come, that this will serve as a little boost of an update (for all interns since we were together at our orientation) as to what has been happening on the campaign for workers from Chicago in their effort to form a union with AFSCME to put a stop to the injustices, such as un-livably low wages, from Resurrection Hospitals.
These two events will be the culminating focal points of the internship this summer for myself and the intern from JCUA. Our work has been to help build broader religious leader support, to offer another tier of religious voices, as the Catholic ones become integrated with other voices of the faithful. We are looking forward to August 1 and August 6, after working on the turn out on many different levels all summer (such as all the relationship building that is so hard to measure- whether it be 1:1's or calls, etc!) I will keep you posted.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Finding furtile soil in rural Indiana
The beginning stages of starting a worker center in an area that is not politically active has certainly been challenging. With the worker center only being opened for three months much of the time we are busy building the capacity of the worker center and spreading the word about it's availability. The churches are the only social institution in the area. I have been busy planting seeds amongst various churches in the Logansport-Delphi-Monticello-Peru-Lafeyette-Kokomo-Frankort area. These rural cities all have small but growing members of Hispanic workers who work in the various meatpacking plants.
But still this area is approximately 80-85% anglo and I need to make sure that we not limiting ourselves to advertising our center to Hispanic workers. I am told there is racial hostility in the region and Indiana is the state with the most surviving members of the KKK. I have found pastors from Methodist, Lutheran and Catholic denominations who have diverse/liberal backgrounds and understand the reasons why many people from Latin America have crossed the border illegally. However some of their congregations are very conservative and change in rural Indiana takes time. Also the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette has reassigned a lot of their pastors in the area so they are in the process of building relationships just like us.
As each week passes I feel I more confident because I have built a relationship with at least one minister who embraces worker values and worker rights that they can minister those aspects to members in their congregation who can value worker rights in abstract concepts. Then there will be a time when those abstract concepts of worker values and dignity will be objective with local advocacy and actions.
Peace,
Ken
But still this area is approximately 80-85% anglo and I need to make sure that we not limiting ourselves to advertising our center to Hispanic workers. I am told there is racial hostility in the region and Indiana is the state with the most surviving members of the KKK. I have found pastors from Methodist, Lutheran and Catholic denominations who have diverse/liberal backgrounds and understand the reasons why many people from Latin America have crossed the border illegally. However some of their congregations are very conservative and change in rural Indiana takes time. Also the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette has reassigned a lot of their pastors in the area so they are in the process of building relationships just like us.
As each week passes I feel I more confident because I have built a relationship with at least one minister who embraces worker values and worker rights that they can minister those aspects to members in their congregation who can value worker rights in abstract concepts. Then there will be a time when those abstract concepts of worker values and dignity will be objective with local advocacy and actions.
Peace,
Ken
Thursday, July 19, 2007
New Sanctuary Movement
After having another meeting with the community leaders, we identified some families who could be the new candidates for the sanctuary in Arizona. Trina and Magdalena have interviewed the families.
We have been doing one-to-ones this past two weeks and try to develop some information to put into the materials we will prepare in order to educate the communities in Phoenix area. We ask the leaders about their role and contributions to social justice in their communities. If we are meeting with the religious leaders, then we look for information about their congregations and how supportive they are with social justice endeavors.
Most churches and mosques in the area claim that they would be spiritual allies to the movement but so far we have only one leader who committed her church to be a physical sanctuary. She has a lot of undocumented people in her congregation so she was extremely passionate. On the other hand, one religious leader refused to talk about the new sanctuary movement because of the same reason ( he has a lot of undocumented people in his congregation). He said that he did not want to jeopardize them. I was amazed at how different responses we received because of the very same reason.
We have also talked to a few senators in the AZ capital. We have emailed all the representatives and senators, most of the people who answered back are democrats or moderate republicans. Sarah and I feel like we are preaching to the choir. We are talking to the people on our side. We definitely are looking for ways to reach others who beg to differ with our opinions. How can we do that?
One of the reps said that there was not enough complaints on our side to the capital. She said that only republicans voiced their opinions and came to lobby. The democrats have no help because people do not send them emails asking them to vote no to anti immigrant bills but they get a lot of emails to vote yes. When they vote yes, they receive "thank you" emails. Therefore, even though they do not want to vote yes, I have to, because of lack of public cover.
I think that it is time to teach people how to lobby and write letters to the reps. It is time to learn the language that affects the anti-immigrant side. We have been talking in our language to ourselves, now we need to talk to them in the only language they understand, which is the "money language. " If we make them realize, the the USA needs immigrants for economic reasons, we can pull them to our side.
We have been doing one-to-ones this past two weeks and try to develop some information to put into the materials we will prepare in order to educate the communities in Phoenix area. We ask the leaders about their role and contributions to social justice in their communities. If we are meeting with the religious leaders, then we look for information about their congregations and how supportive they are with social justice endeavors.
Most churches and mosques in the area claim that they would be spiritual allies to the movement but so far we have only one leader who committed her church to be a physical sanctuary. She has a lot of undocumented people in her congregation so she was extremely passionate. On the other hand, one religious leader refused to talk about the new sanctuary movement because of the same reason ( he has a lot of undocumented people in his congregation). He said that he did not want to jeopardize them. I was amazed at how different responses we received because of the very same reason.
We have also talked to a few senators in the AZ capital. We have emailed all the representatives and senators, most of the people who answered back are democrats or moderate republicans. Sarah and I feel like we are preaching to the choir. We are talking to the people on our side. We definitely are looking for ways to reach others who beg to differ with our opinions. How can we do that?
One of the reps said that there was not enough complaints on our side to the capital. She said that only republicans voiced their opinions and came to lobby. The democrats have no help because people do not send them emails asking them to vote no to anti immigrant bills but they get a lot of emails to vote yes. When they vote yes, they receive "thank you" emails. Therefore, even though they do not want to vote yes, I have to, because of lack of public cover.
I think that it is time to teach people how to lobby and write letters to the reps. It is time to learn the language that affects the anti-immigrant side. We have been talking in our language to ourselves, now we need to talk to them in the only language they understand, which is the "money language. " If we make them realize, the the USA needs immigrants for economic reasons, we can pull them to our side.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Walking the Picket Line With Obama
Illinois Senator and 2008 Presidential Candidate Barack Obama walked the Congress Hotel Picket line with the workers of UNITE-HERE Local 1 on Monday. The workers at the Congress have been on strike for over four years and this was not Obama's first time walking the line in solidarity with them. His presence invigorated many of the strikers and brought an incredible amount of media coverage to the struggle. While I was able to stay out of the camera's view during most of Obama's visit to the line, I was leading chants over the bullhorn when he arrived and my voice appeared in many of the TV spots highlighting the event.
While the media were certainly drawn to the picket line by the presence of a 2008 presidential candidate, the event was not purely political or simply a stunt. Sen. Obama spent a good portion of his time actually walking on the line and talking with the workers there. The union has repeatedly emphasized to us interns how important it is to build relationships with the workers in the shops. Seeing the union emphasize the same points to Sen. Obama demonstrates both how serious and how genuine this approach this approach to organizing really is. Organizing requires trust and trust requires relationships, which is a reminder every politician needs and makes one think that more candidates should spend time on a picket line.
While the media were certainly drawn to the picket line by the presence of a 2008 presidential candidate, the event was not purely political or simply a stunt. Sen. Obama spent a good portion of his time actually walking on the line and talking with the workers there. The union has repeatedly emphasized to us interns how important it is to build relationships with the workers in the shops. Seeing the union emphasize the same points to Sen. Obama demonstrates both how serious and how genuine this approach this approach to organizing really is. Organizing requires trust and trust requires relationships, which is a reminder every politician needs and makes one think that more candidates should spend time on a picket line.
Always Beginning the World
A few of my recent meetings have hit a little something home to me, that got clearer with each conversation, or reflection afterwards, or perhaps just with each passing week on the beat. This little nugget (of so many- with yet another week chock full of precious insights from this work underway) - this bit- that I am chomping on, seems to coincide with that line from the Innocence Mission song of a similar name, "We are always beginning the world". (Let me commend you to perhaps hear its provocative flow rather than take my word for it, as it looks a bit more dry in print here!) But at any rate, here is the thing: everything we do this summer in our work builds toward the next good rounds of work after us. It is some of the ground for the potential of what can be done for worker justice by those that will come up next after us.
On Monday I met with someone in Chicago who did Seminary Summer a year ago, and who is a classmate of mine at Chicago Theological Seminary (C.T.S.), and becoming a good friend and most trusted colleague-- someone whom I am sure I will be in touch with for decades to come, as we both wind our way in to our work in the United Church of Christ. You all in fact met him as one of the trainers at Orientation (while I was committed to leading a youth mission trip for my internship church placement, so I arrived late; and, for those of you I did not get to connect with- my regrets- and still hope to...) Jason is currently a seminarian and a student pastor in Chicago but also, as you likely learned, a former labor organizer, who rose quickly in the ranks of UNITE to broadly lead organizing efforts there. One of the things we touched base on was the fact that this will be the last year for both of us at the seminary, as Jason finishes his M.Div and I study for a Master of Sacred Theology. We noted that our task for the upcoming year of helping lead "Seminarians for Worker Justice" at C.T.S. will be to interest new folks coming in, who may become future coordinators of opportunities, for yet again additional students in the future to take action on behalf of low wage workers.
What issues might we plan to work on this year that could attract new seminary students such that we can help cultivate the next crew, as we get ready to graduate? I told Jason a little about the presentations that we heard at the IWJ National Conference from the student organizers who had successfully tapped a chord among busy students at their schools (this was from the workshop "From SNCC to Immokalee: Challenges and Opportunities for Student Organizing.") As we spoke, I got excited about the year to come, as I came to be able to frame a part of what our work will be: cultivating next leadership.
This is straight forward and neat in certain terms. But the same message also recently came to me from a very different kind of conversation. This was during some of the more grueling and unromantic parts of organizing (let me just say: a stack of cold outreach calls!) But the take-away insight is similar. A few weeks ago, I was facing down a most daunting list of calls to pastors. This was before I had a strategy session where I was encouraged to start with those whom I had identified a relationship or connection with that might be common ground (which was my inclination, coming out of our training, but during week one, I had still been more of an anthropologist, not asking as many questions- or offering my contributions as readily as I can now.) This was also before receiving the gem of wisdom from my mentor, "with organizing, Lauren, always start with the 'low hanging fruit'." In other words, of course start with the people with whom you have any previous connection- why the heck not with such an uphill climb?
So before being enlightened in such ways, on my initial day of calls, after a sea of vague ones, I "met" a pastor over the phone, where my focus came down sharp when I learned he was already familiar, and in fact a huge fan, of none other than "Interfaith Worker Justice and all the good folks there and all the good work that you do." I updated him as to what the lowest wage workers at Resurrection Hospitals in Chicago are working on, as they struggle to at least get a living wage, out of a hospital system that is becoming more and more corporatized, and less and less of the profit and benefits are trickling down to workers. He was less interested in the specifics, but said, "you are working with a really great operation, and yes I will try to come to your upcoming action if I am back in town by then." So rather than curse the blasted season of August pastor vacations one more time that day, I had a moment of sending out gratitude to all the tireless IWJ people who had worked before me, such that this pastor might be ready to act simply by my association with IWJ.
So I know that we are all "always beginning the world," even as many of the seeds that we drop can not yet be seen for their fruit to come. And so whenever I detect a shred of despair hidden underneath my generally optomistic attitude in this work-- I want to remember that even if my particular call may not turn from a maybe to a yes, I may leave a good impression that will lead next year's intern to an instant yes for her or his stack o' calls for an action that deserves wide support.
On Monday I met with someone in Chicago who did Seminary Summer a year ago, and who is a classmate of mine at Chicago Theological Seminary (C.T.S.), and becoming a good friend and most trusted colleague-- someone whom I am sure I will be in touch with for decades to come, as we both wind our way in to our work in the United Church of Christ. You all in fact met him as one of the trainers at Orientation (while I was committed to leading a youth mission trip for my internship church placement, so I arrived late; and, for those of you I did not get to connect with- my regrets- and still hope to...) Jason is currently a seminarian and a student pastor in Chicago but also, as you likely learned, a former labor organizer, who rose quickly in the ranks of UNITE to broadly lead organizing efforts there. One of the things we touched base on was the fact that this will be the last year for both of us at the seminary, as Jason finishes his M.Div and I study for a Master of Sacred Theology. We noted that our task for the upcoming year of helping lead "Seminarians for Worker Justice" at C.T.S. will be to interest new folks coming in, who may become future coordinators of opportunities, for yet again additional students in the future to take action on behalf of low wage workers.
What issues might we plan to work on this year that could attract new seminary students such that we can help cultivate the next crew, as we get ready to graduate? I told Jason a little about the presentations that we heard at the IWJ National Conference from the student organizers who had successfully tapped a chord among busy students at their schools (this was from the workshop "From SNCC to Immokalee: Challenges and Opportunities for Student Organizing.") As we spoke, I got excited about the year to come, as I came to be able to frame a part of what our work will be: cultivating next leadership.
This is straight forward and neat in certain terms. But the same message also recently came to me from a very different kind of conversation. This was during some of the more grueling and unromantic parts of organizing (let me just say: a stack of cold outreach calls!) But the take-away insight is similar. A few weeks ago, I was facing down a most daunting list of calls to pastors. This was before I had a strategy session where I was encouraged to start with those whom I had identified a relationship or connection with that might be common ground (which was my inclination, coming out of our training, but during week one, I had still been more of an anthropologist, not asking as many questions- or offering my contributions as readily as I can now.) This was also before receiving the gem of wisdom from my mentor, "with organizing, Lauren, always start with the 'low hanging fruit'." In other words, of course start with the people with whom you have any previous connection- why the heck not with such an uphill climb?
So before being enlightened in such ways, on my initial day of calls, after a sea of vague ones, I "met" a pastor over the phone, where my focus came down sharp when I learned he was already familiar, and in fact a huge fan, of none other than "Interfaith Worker Justice and all the good folks there and all the good work that you do." I updated him as to what the lowest wage workers at Resurrection Hospitals in Chicago are working on, as they struggle to at least get a living wage, out of a hospital system that is becoming more and more corporatized, and less and less of the profit and benefits are trickling down to workers. He was less interested in the specifics, but said, "you are working with a really great operation, and yes I will try to come to your upcoming action if I am back in town by then." So rather than curse the blasted season of August pastor vacations one more time that day, I had a moment of sending out gratitude to all the tireless IWJ people who had worked before me, such that this pastor might be ready to act simply by my association with IWJ.
So I know that we are all "always beginning the world," even as many of the seeds that we drop can not yet be seen for their fruit to come. And so whenever I detect a shred of despair hidden underneath my generally optomistic attitude in this work-- I want to remember that even if my particular call may not turn from a maybe to a yes, I may leave a good impression that will lead next year's intern to an instant yes for her or his stack o' calls for an action that deserves wide support.
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