Yearly Archives: 2017

Working people can’t seem to get ahead. As we watch the news, engage in our communities, and organize around our respective issues, it becomes more and more apparent that we are operating in a rigged economy, which works for the privileged few. Wall Street’s power and influence continues to thwart progress on our most basic needs, on issues like public health, environmental protection, workers’ rights, and civil rights. The most fundamental component of our democracy, our ability to organize and successfully advocate for our needs, has been undermined. Join us on September 29th and 30th at NJEA Headquarters in Trenton (180 W. State Street) to learn how our economy, and our democracy, have been strip-mined by financial institutions. This intensive training will involve materials developed by Les Leopold, author of Runaway Inequality and director of The Labor Institute. We’ve already trained 45 educators, who are working across Jersey to share this content within their organizations, spreading the word to fellow activists. Join the discussion on direct actions that we can take to address the fundamental inequalities in our system. Space is limited to 20 participants.  Apply now for the Public Need over Corporate Greed Trainer Apprenticeship Program and help create [...]

On November 30, 2012 Jamie Hoyt, a resident of Bogata New Jersey, and two other Labor Ready temporary workers were moving racks of computers out of a Verizon facility in Pearl River, New York. Jamie was crushed by a falling computer racks and was killed. Jamie's family agreed to speak with us at the 2016 Workers' Memorial Day event organized by WEC and New Labor about what happened to Jamie in the hope that future workplace injuries and deaths may be avoided. Mike Hoyt explained how his brother Jamie was killed on the job. Jamie's co-worker filled in some of the specifics of what happened that day. Jamie's sister Mary Jo Hoyt explained that despite concern about the accident, the fine levied made a statement of its own. The family expressed concern that the risk all goes to the temp worker, not the contractor or corporation. Mike Hoyt stressed that the temp industry is growing, but no one has a stake in safety. Ann Hoyt, Jamie's sister, said talking about this issue is perhaps one way to see that things change. We also had a [...]

In 2016, WEC was very pleased to honor two remarkable leaders with our Rising Star Award, a new honor intended to recognize outstanding new leaders from labor, environmental and community organizations. Our inaugural recipients were Nicole Scott-Harris & Reynalda Cruz. We hope to recognize additional Rising Stars in 2017, but we need help identifying promising potential awardees. Please consider nominating someone today. Nominations deadline is Friday, July 14. Please click here for the 2017 Rising Star Nomination Form. Nomination Form 2016 Awards Dinner

The United States needs to make major changes as we fight the threat of climate change. New Jersey is vulnerable to extreme weather like Hurricane Sandy, which threaten to take out our infrastructure and housing. The Shore is especially vulnerable to increased flooding from rising sea levels. New Jerseyans across the state will suffer as rising temperatures bring heat waves that will push summer highs above 100 degrees. We need to use a combination of strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and minimize the impacts of climate change. One powerful tool in our arsenal is energy efficiency. By reducing energy usage in buildings and homes, we can achieve major emissions reductions quickly and within existing facilities. Energy efficiency in buildings provides a triple benefit: the environment, public health, and job prospects all see improvements through energy efficiency programs. Strategies to implement energy efficiency in buildings take on many forms. They include programs such as installing efficient lighting, HVAC, and other appliances; insulating homes and repairing leaky windows; and using smart controls to turn off lights and heating when no one’s home. New Jersey is already seeing the benefits of these programs: on average, residents saved an average of $536 per [...]