WEC in the News

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.

As Democrats from across the country gather in Philadelphia this week for the Democratic National Convention, U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross (D-Cherry Hill) spent the better half of Monday morning across the Delaware River in Camden at an event highlighting the city's recent infrastructure investments. See the Article here

Government officials, businesses, and community members are all coming together to figure out a way to change the future of Camden. The goal is to create job opportunities by the investments made to repair the aging infrastructure of the city. See the Video here

State lawmakers and advocates called a news conference to support right-to-know bills designed to enhance oversight of crude oil trains barreling across New Jersey. One directs that towns be given travel schedules and that everyone along those routes can access detailed disaster response plans. See the Article here

State officials and local advocates met in front of Benjamin Franklin Middle School just steps away from the railroad tracks this morning to discuss a bill proposed by State Senator Loretta Weinberg, D-Teaneck, that would increase transparency and accountability for the public regarding trains carrying volatile Bakken crude oil. See the Article Here

Workers whose job is to evaluate health and safety issues are less vulnerable to being fired for telling truth to employers. The New Jersey Supreme Court yesterday widened the state's whistleblower law, ruling that employees whose jobs entail identifying helath and safety risks are entitled to protection under the statute. See Article Here

Workers whose job is to monitor whether their employer complies with standards and regulations are not barred from whistleblower protections under a state law designed to prevent retaliation against employees who speak out, the state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. See Article Here

Workers in New Jersey recently protested against on-the-job hazards that can significantly harm or even kill employees. In 2013, workplace violence kept an average of four employees per 10,000 off the job in the private sector, but four times that many health care workers lost time at work - and it's trending up from the year before. See Article / Video Here

The Christie administration is failing to ensure the public has access to up-to-date emergency response plans for nearly a hundred facilities handling extremely hazardous chemicals, according to a labor and environmental organization. See Article Here