WEC Staff

On July 13, 2016, the New Jersey State Board of Education adopted regulations regarding testing for lead in drinking water for all educational facilities.  School districts were mandated to make all test results available at the school facility and on the district's website. The regulations also require notification to the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), as well as to parents, in any instances where positive results over the established recommended exposure limit are reported. The notification should describe the steps taken to immediately end the use of each drinking water outlet where water quality exceeds the permissible lead level, as well as the measures taken to ensure that alternative drinking water has been made available to all students and staff. After conducting a survey of districts, we can say with confidence that compliance has not been universal. Healthy Schools Now (HSN) has created a chart to highlight district compliance with the state mandated lead results website publication, including links to the results for those districts that have posted information online.  In August, well after the stated deadline of July 13, 2017, HSN conducted a review of the district websites of the 31 Schools Development Authority (SDA) districts to see if lead [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]