Monthly Archives: December 2016

Since 1986, the Work Environment Council of New Jersey has fought for safe, secure jobs and a healthy sustainable environment. We’ve spent years working to link workers, communities, and environmental activists through training, grassroots organizing, and policy campaigns. First and foremost, WEC is concerned with public health and the well-being of workers. But it’s important that while we maintain a broad vision in defining public health, that we address the economic policy that keeps working people and communities in danger. That’s one reason why WEC supports A862, a bill which strengthens protections for workers against wage theft. The bill, which passed out of the Assembly Labor Committee on December 12, would deter employers from committing wage theft by strengthening penalties, increasing the amount of time a worker has to file a claim, protecting workers who file claims from retaliation, and by holding employers who use subcontractors accountable. How is wage theft connected to public health, though? Aren’t wages and labor economic practices a separate issue from public health? In fact, an economy that is dependent on wage theft and low wages is extremely damaging to public wellbeing. When a family worries about how they will pay for groceries, their health is [...]

According to public opinion polls, Americans typically believe a good pay ratio is 7 to 1. In other words, the top paid CEO in the United States should make 7 times what the average worker makes. And yet the American reality is much different. In fact, the top paid CEOs in the United States make roughly 844 times what the average worker makes. This stunning statistic represents the antithesis of the American dream: the idea that if someone works hard then they deserve financial security; it also belies the myth that as the pool of wealth increases, all boats rise. These outrageously disparate numbers indicate a broken economy, engineered by the top 1/10th of the 1% wealthiest Americans, which has fostered a destructive and amoral distribution of wealth. In a move to address the extreme and corrupt distribution of wealth, the city council of Portland, Oregon passed a tax this Wednesday on companies in which the top-ranked executives make more than 100 times the median pay of their average workers. In doing so, the city of Portland has shown it is willing to take steps to reverse the negative effects that extreme income inequality has on its residents. [...]

WEC hosted our annual membership meeting at the NJEA headquarters in Trenton, NJ on December 5. We were pleased to be joined by representatives of more than 30 organizations, most of whom are WEC members. Members in attendance voted to affirm the nominees for executive leadership. Attendees also enjoyed a panel presentation: Preparing for the Future: Addressing Climate Change in New Jersey. New Jersey Sea Level Rise Report Marjorie Kaplan New Jersey Climate Adaptation Alliance Marjorie Kaplan began the discussion by highlighting the New Jersey Climate Adaptation Alliance's recent report on sea-level rise in New Jersey. Bottom line: coastal communities will face increasing sea-level rise throughout this century. Slides Climate Resiliency for Urban Communities Nicole Scott Harris New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance Nicole Scott-Harris, recent recipient of the WEC Rising Star Award, highlighted the disproportionate impact on environmental justice (EJ) communities, and talked about how climate change is already effecting NJ communities today. Slides Sandy's Impact on Lives in New Jersey Amanda Devecka-Rinear New Jersey Organizing Project Amanda Devecka-Rinear spoke about the incredible work of [...]