September 2016 - Work Environment Council

Environmental Justice Climate Policy Event

WEC recently partnered with Greenfaith, Environment New Jersey, and the New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance to host a lunch and learn at the Ironbound Community Corporation in Newark. More than 35 grassroots leaders participated in the meeting and ensuing discussion. Aaron Jones of 32BJ SEIU gave an overview of the NY Renews initiative, a broad-based coalition effort in New York striving to tackle the climate and inequality crises head-on. To view Mr. Jones' presentation, please click here. Dr. Nicky Sheats presented on the environmental justice concerns with carbon trading and provided insights on the Clean Power Plan. To view Dr. Sheats' presentation, slides, please click here. For more information about WEC's work on climate change policy, or to be notified about future events, please contact Dan Fatton at [email protected].

By WEC Staff|2016-09-27T21:18:21-04:00September 27th, 2016|Highlights, WEC in the News|Comments Off

WEC Launches Campaign to Address Runaway Inequality

For Immediate Release, September 26, 2016 The New Jersey Work Environment Council (WEC) is pleased to announce our new campaign to address Runaway Inequality. In partnership with The Labor Institute, NJEA and New Jersey Policy Perspective, WEC is launching a campaign aimed at addressing and reversing the outsized influence of corporations and ending the financial strip mining of our economy by Wall Street firms. WEC has hired Brandon Castro as campaign organizer, and plans to partner with Les Leopold, author of the book, Runaway Inequality, and director of The Labor Institute. The goal is to coordinate a large education initiative to train thousands of activists to help confront corporate power in New Jersey. Brandon Castro most recently worked as a campaign organizer for several student groups including United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS), the nation’s largest youth-led labor campaign organization, which advocates for economic justice in partnership with worker and community organizations. For USAS, Castro worked in direct solidarity with workers, putting pressure on garment manufacturers to sign international health and safety accords and to allow independent monitoring organizations to inspect factories. Brandon also previously served as an intern for WEC, assisting with the Respect Our Right to Know campaign, health and [...]

By WEC Staff|2016-09-26T16:42:09-04:00September 26th, 2016|Press Releases|Comments Off

2016 WEC Awards Dinner Honoree Bios

WEC is pleased and honored to recognize five outstanding leaders at our 2016 Awards Dinner, which will also serve as our 30th Anniversary Celebration. Colandus “Kelly” Francis, President, Camden County Branch of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Colandus "Kelly" Francis is President of the Camden County Branch of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Kelly was born in Enfield, North Carolina, and lived in Newport News, Virginia until his family moved to Camden, NJ in 1949. He continues to reside in the Parkside areas where his family members have lived for the past 45 years. Kelly is a graduate of Hatch Jr. High and Camden High schools and attended Salem County Community College, Pennsylvania State University and Rutgers University. He worked for 34 years for the U.S. Postal Service and retired as an electronic technician in the field of automation and computer technology in 1989. While with the postal service, he served as a union officer for the American Postal Workers Union, holding various offices including general president. He is currently serving in several volunteer capacities as president of the Camden County NAACP, vice president [...]

By WEC Staff|2016-10-31T17:44:50-04:00September 25th, 2016|Uncategorized|Comments Off

Healthy Schools Now Coalition Meeting

On September 20, more than 25 representatives from diverse labor, educational and community organizations assembled at NJEA headquarters in Trenton, NJ for the inaugural Healthy Schools Now coalition meeting of the 2016-17 academic year. Coalition meeting participants enjoyed a presentation on Governor Christie’s proposed school funding formula from Education Law Center’s managing director Theresa Luhm, and a presentation on rethinking educational environments from NJ Environmental Justice Alliance’s campaign organizer Nicole Scott-Harris. Both presentations are available online here. Healthy Schools Now coalition members had a robust conversation on the next steps in the fight for healthy and school schools for all of New Jersey’s students. Several leaders reiterated the need for enhanced cross-coalition partnerships. Over the next few months, the Healthy Schools Now campaign will be working with elected officials, community and labor organizations on expanding educational equity and social justice, ensuring proper school nutrition, helping to push the temperature control bill through the legislative process, and increasing bonding capacity for the NJ School Development Authority. Join Healthy Schools Now coalition members for our next meeting on November 29, 2016 beginning at 10 AM at NJEA Headquarters in Trenton, NJ.

By WEC Staff|2016-09-22T21:18:00-04:00September 22nd, 2016|WEC in the News|Comments Off

Why N.J. schools close when there’s sweltering heat

"With our state in the throes of knock down, drag out fights surrounding competing and different educational funding philosophies, one area of near certain agreement is that all students deserve a safe and healthy learning environment. Passing temperature control legislation and working with school districts to create common sense plans for addressing this increasingly common hazard would take us closer to realizing safe and healthy learning environments for all of New Jersey public school students. " Full opinion-editorial by Jerell Blakeley, WEC campaign organizer in The Star Ledger, September 21, 2016

By WEC Staff|2016-09-21T21:18:00-04:00September 21st, 2016|Highlights, Opinion Pieces|Comments Off

@Issue: State of the Union on Labor Day 2016

Do yourself a favor and skip halfway down this article, right past the nonsense from Americans for Prosperity, to read the responses to some questions on the state of unions from our executive director, Dan Fatton, in honor of Labor Day.

By WEC Staff|2016-09-08T21:31:00-04:00September 8th, 2016|Highlights, WEC in the News|Comments Off

Monthly Archives: September 2016

Environmental Justice Climate Policy Event

WEC Launches Campaign to Address Runaway Inequality

2016 WEC Awards Dinner Honoree Bios

Healthy Schools Now Coalition Meeting

Why N.J. schools close when there’s sweltering heat

@Issue: State of the Union on Labor Day 2016