Pilgrimmage for Immigration Reform–and NEW Resource Guide!

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Despite the government shutdown and months of holdup in the House on immigration reform (and basically everything), today at 12PM, Democrats in the House plan to introduce an immigration reform bill that mirrors the Gang of 8’s Senate Bill passed in June. As we mobilize in support of the bill, we need your help!

We invite you to join us for our Interfaith Pilgrimage for Just Immigration Reform on Sunday, October 27th (rain or shine) 1:30pm-3pm. The march will begin at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal RC Church on Straight Path in Wyandanch and ending, half mile down Straight Path, at the US Post Office. There, we will conduct a “Vigil to Stop the Deportations” and hear from faith and other leaders about the urgency of passing the Senate’s immigration reform bill in the House.

Your presence, your voice, your support, will help us gain support for immigration reform. As Congressman Peter King told us in our meeting with him in August, “Keep the pressure on” to get the Senate bill passed in the House. We hope that he will continue to support our efforts.

We will begin the march at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal at 1:30 PM. There is parking on the church grounds. We suggest if you are attending in a group, that you come in at least two cars, leaving one car at the post office before the event for any who might not be able to walk back to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.

Take a step for just immigration reform by joining us on October 27th, and download our new pilgrimage resource guide for other events you can take part in leading up to the pilgrimage! Please let us know if you have questions, or RSVP to attend by emailing Anita at ahalasz.lijwj@gmail.com or call us at 631-348-1170 ext. 310.

New LI JWJ Report Shows High Number of Voter Engagement for Bus Riders

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Bus Riders’ Union Releases Report Showing High Numbers of Voter Engagement for Nassau County Bus Riders

Mineola, NY—The Long Island Bus Riders’ Union released a report today entitled “Bus Riders Vote: A Report on Voter Engagement for Nassau County Bus Riders” showing that bus riders have high numbers of engagement in Nassau County. The report’s key findings showed that 55% of bus riders voted in the past two years, and that 58% plan to vote in the November 2013 elections. Additionally, the report showed that 69% of voting riders say that public transportation is a “very important” issue to them when voting in an election.

The research involved 284 in-person interviews with bus riders at Nassau County’s bus terminals, and had a margin of error of +/- 6%. The reports objectives were to “determine the number of Nassau County bus riders that are politically active and understand how important public transportation is in the voting habits of bus riders.”

The report follows months of advocacy on behalf of the Bus Riders’ Union to improve the bus system, including a recent push to fix erroneous Metrocard machines and increase the County’s funding to the buses.

“This report conclusively shows just how important public transportation is to voting bus riders, and we hope that elected officials will work with us to continue to improve our County’s bus system,” said Aaron Watkins-Lopez, an organizer with Long Island Jobs with Justice and a researcher on the report.

The report concludes with four recommendations for elected officials, asking them to:

  • Take notice of service problems in their districts by attending Transit Advisory Committee meetings and keeping up-to-date with transit advocates’ recommendations, including calls to fix broken Metrocard machines.
  • Regularly meet with disability rights organizations to understand problems unique to disabled bus riders.
  • Ride the buses themselves after quarterly changes are implemented to gain an understanding of problems riders might be experiencing.
  • Speak with bus riders at bus terminals to advocate not only for better bus service in their district, but for better bus service as a whole.

“The goal of this report is to showcase the importance of bus riders to Nassau County’s electoral system, and to gain traction for additional improvements to the bus system through the end of the year,” said Charlene Obernauer, founder of the Bus Riders’ Union and author of the report.

Find report online here:

Bus Riders Vote: A report on Voter Engagement for Nassau County Bus Riders

*** The Long Island Bus Riders’ Union (LI BRU) is an organization of Long Island bus riders and public transit advocates that supports affordable, equitable, and accessible mass transportation. The Bus Riders’ Union originated with the Coalition to Save Long Island Bus and is a project of Long Island Jobs with Justice.

Upcoming Event: Women in Politics

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LONG ISLAND LABOR WOMEN’S COMMITTEE

 

Invites you to attend

 

Women in Politics 

 

September 18, 5:30PM-7:30PM

 

At IBEW LU 1049, 745 Old Willets Path, Hauppauge 

 

A discussion with Suffolk County Legislators Kara Hahn & Sarah S. Anker and Nassau County Legislative Candidate Laura Curran

 

Join County Legislators as they discuss their reason for running for elected office, the struggles they faced as women along the way, and their hopes for increasing percentages of female elected officials on Long Island.

 

All women are invited to attend.

 

RSVP to Amy Ullo at 631.348.1170, ext. 314

 

or email aullo@lilabor.org

 

Stand with Walmart Workers on Long Island!

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RALLY FOR CHANGE

Thursday, September 5th at 1:00PM

At Walmart Valley Stream

77 Green Acres Road, Valley Stream, New York

Since Walmart workers went on strike in early June, Walmart has illegally fired or disciplined more than 70 workers for taking part in the legally protected strike. Walmarthas doubled down on its aggressive attempts to deny workers their fundamental right to come together and speak out for change. Meanwhile, workers on Long Island are organizing for their rights, particularly in Valley Stream.

But the Walmart strikers are fighting back!

Join us on Thursday, September 5, 2013 and show your support for Walmart workers as they take bold action! RSVP to Charlene atcharlene.obernauer@gmail.com

Help us tell Walmart: Enough is enough! Walmart must stop illegally firing workers who are exercising their right to speak out to defend their coworker’s right to stand up for a better life.

* N1 bus from Valley Stream LIRR station *

Join Us for Our 10 Year Anniversary Celebration!

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It’s been 10 years since Long Island Jobs with Justice first opening its doors in 2003. Remember when we built a community campaign in support of janitors who worked at Smithhaven Mall? At one protest, we gave out hundreds of balloons to shoppers that read “Justice for Janitors.” The janitors later unionized with 32BJ SEIU. Remember when we gathered together our Workers’ Rights Board members to support school bus drivers who were looking to unionize with the Teamsters, Local 1205? Months later, nearly 1,700 workers joined the union in one of the most successful union drives Long Island has ever seen.

What is your Jobs with Justice memory? 

Share it with us at our upcoming 10-year anniversary celebration on Monday, August 12th at 6:00pm. We will be at the View in Oakdale (3 Consuelo Place). Please RSVP if you can attend! Tickets are $105, but scholarships are also available. If you represent an organization that would like to sponsor, please let me know by emailing charlene.obernauer@gmail.com.

Click here for sponsorship info: JwJ-Reception Invite

Thank you!

Charlene

P.S. If you have picture memories, please email me and we’ll include them in our slideshow!

Senate Passes Immigration Bill! What’s Next??

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Yesterday, the U.S. Senate passed a sweeping immigration bill that promises a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants, significantly reworks the legal immigration system, and also provides billions of dollars for border reinforcement. While this victory is exciting and the closest we’ve come to an immigration reform bill in 30 years, the next battle is in the GOP-controlled house.

To prepare for this upcoming battle, Long Island Jobs with Justice will be hosting a Good Samaritan Week of Action from July 3rd-July 14th. We are calling for “Stop the Deportations” Vigils, prayers for immigration, and even sermons on immigration reform. All of the resources you need to make this happen can be found on the resources section of our website online here.

Our first vigil will be at the Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Roman Catholic Church in Wyandanch on Thursday, July 3rd at 6:30PM. Please mark your calendars, and continue collecting letters urging your congressional leaders to support immigration reform.

Good Samaritan Action to Support Immigration Reform

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The tide is turning on immigration reform.  The Senate bill continues to move forward. Recent polls show 70% of Americans and 80% of Long Islanders supporting the bill. But we anticipate tough opposition in the weeks ahead, especially in the House.  This is why we are asking people of faith and all people of good will on Long Island  to join us in one or more “Good Samaritan actions to support immigration reform” between now and July 14th.

The Good Samaritan Bible story of the “outsider,” a despised Samaritan, who helped a Jewish victim when his own people passed him by, is well known to all.  On the weekend of July 13-14th, the Gospel of the Good Samaritan will be featured in the Common Lectionary used by many Christian denominations – both Protestant and Catholic.  The weekend before Americans celebrate Independence Day, filled with symbolism of how we are “a nation of immigrants.”

Given what will surely be powerful opposition to the Senate bill, we need your help. In the days leading up to Good Samaritan Sunday, please join us in one or more of these actions to support immigrants:

  • On Tuesday, June 25th, be part of a national call-in to support the Senate immigration bill by calling Senator Schumer:  202-224-6542;  Senator Gillibrand 202-224-4451 with this message: “As a person of faith, I urge you to support comprehensive immigration reform–one that ensures family unity, provides a path to citizenship, and maintains a secure border.” 
  • Sometime between July 3rd and July 14th, schedule a “Stop the Deportations” vigil at your congregation.  This event takes only about 20 minutes.  To access a detailed guide on how to hold the vigil, go to [put link here].  Our goal is to stop the deportation of all non-criminal immigrants while Congress is trying to fix our broken immigration laws.
  • Insert a prayer for immigrants into your congregation’s service on either Independence Day weekend or the weekend of July 12th-14th. To access a sample prayer, go to our resources section on our website.
  • If you are a member of a Christian congregation, ask your clergy to preach on the weekend of July 12th-14th the excellent “Good Samaritan Sermon to Support Immigrants” prepared by the Reverend Tom Goodhue, Executive Director of the Long Island Council of Churches.
  •  If you have not already done so, collect our interfaith letter of just immigration principles addressed to your member of Congress sometime between now and July 14th.  We plan to meet with Congressman King in late July to present him with what are already 1,000 of these letters that have been collected.  You can do the same for your member of Congress.

All of these materials can be found on the resources section of our website.