On December 10th, 1948, the United Nations adopted what has been called the Magna Carta of the Human Race, the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” guaranteeing all peoples of the world such fundamental rights as shelter, food and education. These guarantees draw from the Declaration’s Preamble recognizing the “inherent dignity and the equal and alienable rights of all members of the human family” as the foundation of “freedom, justice and peace in the world.”

Long Island Jobs with Justice will commemorate the anniversary of the Universal Declaration by holding our annual Human Rights Day Labor-Faith Prayer Brunch. This year’s brunch title is “FIGHTING FOR A DREAM: Honoring Undocumented Children and Those Who Serve Them.”

Article 26 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “everyone has the right to education,” yet too many young people are still denied access. This year, we will reflect on the challenges undocumented young people face and lift up the remarkable work of Dreamers and allies across Long Island.

We are proud to honor Patrick Young, Esq., Program Director at the Central American Refugee Center (CARECEN) and Jackeline Saavedra, Staff Attorney at Empire Justice Center at this year’s event.

Join us on Thursday, December 10th, from 10am–12pm, as we celebrate and honor the remarkable humanitarian work of Patrick and Jackeline.

The keynote speaker for the afternoon will be Rev. Richard Ryscavage, Director of Fairfield University’s Center for the Study of Faith and Public Life.

Registration ($25) is open and you can register here today!

If you would like to RSVP by email, please contact Kimberly Saget at ksaget.lijwj@gmail.com.Please RSVP by December 3rd.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor please contact Anita Halasz atahalasz.lijwj@gmail.com or (631) 348-1170 ext. 304.

Looking forward to seeing you on December 10th!

“Education is not a way to escape poverty – it is a way of fighting it.”
~ Julius Nyerere, former President of the United Republic of Tanzania

This year marks a great year for workers and the labor movement. We’ve witnessed hundreds of thousands of workers fighting for their rights to dignity and justice at their jobs. And they are winning!

Quality King Repack members ratified their new contract that brought historic raises for 220 women workers on Long Island! Read more >>

Fast-food workers win $15 minimum wage and inspire broader wage fight in New York! Read more >>

New York’s nail salon workers win landmark legislation that beefs up workplace protections! Read more >>

First union contract won for Carwasheros in the Northeast! Read more >>

JFK and LaGuardia airport workers win right to join a union and negotiate a contract! Read more >>

These victories did not happen overnight – they came out of the unwavering organizing, solidarity, and determination of workers and their allies.

To keep with the spirit of worker solidarity, we invite you to join us at a special one-time screening of The Hand that Feeds, an award-winning documentary that follows the story of shy sandwich-maker Mahoma López as he unites his undocumented immigrant coworkers to fight abusive conditions at a popular New York restaurant chain. The film will be followed by a panel of local worker leaders. 

Visit our Facebook event page (click here) and RSVP by visiting: http://bit.ly/1Fyh4zN

We hope to see you there!

Two and a half years ago, 200 people who worked at fast-food restaurants in New York took a chance and went out on strike. By demanding a living wage of $15 and hour, they inspired a movement that has spread across the country and around the world.

Now, because of the bravery of these workers and the support of allies like you, fast-food employees in New York just won a $15 an hour minimum wage!! Big thanks to all of our faith, community and labor allies who waited 5 hours to deliver testimony at the Long Island wage board hearing. Your powerful messages were all recorded and considered, and weighed heavily on the success of this historical decision!

Will you chip in $15 today to make sure we can continue our work to ensure better wages and better lives across Long Island?

This wage raise will change the lives of nearly 25,000 fast food workers on Long Island, and more than 180,000 people across New York!

We know that profitable corporations like McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s can provide the quality jobs that working Americans need to thrive, but they would rather invest in government lobbyists to keep wages low than pay their workers higher wages. THIS STOPS NOW!

We proved that we can win, but only by speaking up together and standing for fair wages, decent and predictable hours, paid sick leave and the right to negotiate with your boss.

We need your help to continue the momentum to ensure more working families have what they need to survive. Retail workers, nurses, airport workers, adjunct professors, and many more, have continued with the call for $15 and a union! Just yesterday, the power of over 1,000 airport workers at LaGuardia and JFK airports helped secure an agreement between Aviation Safeguards and 32BJ SEIU. The movement is strong and growing! 

P.S. Don’t forget to check us out in The Nation here and Al Jazeera here!

Most of what we eat, drink, wear, drive, and watch is the product of companies that are global in their operations. Their power over our lives, our planet, and our democratic institutions has never been greater, and with Congress’ current attempt to ram through the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal by way of Fast-Track legislation, corporate-led pursuits of globalization are more imminent than ever before.

Fast-Track would diminish the ability of Congress to amend harmful trade agreements, like TPP, and would enhance the ability of coporations to move their products, money, and factories around the globe more quickly and with less regulations. Again and again we have been promised that these trade agreements “create jobs” and grow the economy, but history tells us otherwise:

Since the 1994 signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA):

• NAFTA was said to increase high-quality U.S. jobs through expanding exports. The opposite occured: Imports from NAFTA partners grew faster than U.S. exports and some 700,000 U.S. jobs were lost as production moved to Mexico
• Heavily subsidized U.S. corn, and other staples, that poured into Mexico displaced an estimated two million small farmers

TPP is like NAFTA on steroids!

We cannot allow another job-killing trade deal to pass! JOIN US on April 1st at 4:30pm at Congressman Zeldin’s district office (31 Oak Street, Patchogue) as we rally against the TPP and Fast-Track and say NO to coporate profits and YES to protecting working people!