WEC Staff

The “Thomas P. Canzanella 21st Century First Responders Protection Act”, named after the Professional Firefighter Association of New Jersey former President Thomas Canzanella who worked on the 9/11 “pile” and passed in June 2007, will modernize the workers’ compensation system in New Jersey.   The Act ensures the meeting of the critical needs of public safety workers who are New Jersey’s first line of defense in the event of catastrophic emergencies, epidemics and terrorist attacks, and assures that those workers are not denied a level of support which is commensurate to the sacrifices they and their families make for the safety and wellbeing of the citizens of this State and the Nation.  This new law reforms New Jersey’s workers’ compensation law to create a rebuttable presumption of coverage for public safety workers for certain illnesses. For firefighters, those with seven or more years of service who suffer an injury, illness or death caused by certain types of medical conditions would not be required to demonstrate causation or exposure before receiving medical benefits and financial compensation. Other first responders, including first-aid or rescue squad members, police, corrections officers, nurses, medical technicians, and other medical personnel, are also not required to demonstrate causation of [...]

WEC Divests from Wall Street In 1981, the Reagan administration enacted a slew of financial deregulations and tax reforms which made private equity and hedge fund activity significantly more profitable. This included cutting the tax on capital gains, and legalizing stock buybacks – a practice previously considered illegal stock manipulation. In 1982, U.S. Secretary Treasurer William Simon, with two partners, borrowed $79 million, mostly from large banks, to purchase Gibson Greetings, one of the largest greeting card companies in the U.S. The purchase saddled Gibson Greeting with millions of dollars of debt, debt which fell on the company itself. To pay it off, workers’ wages, pensions, and benefits were slashed.  Sixteen months later, they sold Gibson Greeting, resulting in massive profits for themselves and the bankers and investors involved. This began a trend in a deregulated financial sector: big banks irresponsibly lend money to greedy private equity firms and hedge funds, who make billions off debt financing by piling it onto workers. The reckless activities of big banks and Wall Street is largely responsible for stagnant wages for workers. It has led to the erosion of tax bases and public services in the United States. The New Jersey Work Environment [...]

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 May 31st and June 1st, 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 WEC and Les Leopold, author of Runaway Inequality and director of The Labor Institute. We’ve already trained 65 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 [...]