President
Obama has drawn the nation's attention to community organizing. The power of
organizing is exemplified by the Latin American Workers Project (LAWP) in New
York City.
LAWP
was founded in 1997 by and for low income migrant workers. It empowers
immigrant workers to become leaders in their communities, achieve better
working conditions and create economic opportunities. It has more than 6,000
members, 60% of whom are day laborers.
Since
2001, CTAC has supported LAWP efforts with technical assistance and small
grants to strengthen the group's capacities and community organizing efforts. This
support has focused on organizational planning, leadership development,
fundraising and strategy development. It has been made possible by the Intermediary
Support for Organizing Communities program of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.
Through
community organizing, LAWP's many victories include:
- Establishing
a landmark strategic alliance with Local 10 of the Labor International Union of
North America to unionize day laborers and provide access to health care,
workers compensation and job training.
-
Leading
the movement to open three day laborer Community Jobs Centers in New York City,
where LAWP negotiates the scope of work and fair wages with contractors and
provides training, information
and job referral assistance.
-
Helping
launch the three year campaign, in collaboration with several organizations and
the office of the New York
Attorney General, that resulted in a settlement which paid $1,075,000 in restitution
and damages to workers victimized by below minimum wages, work weeks exceeding 70
hours, and hazardous working conditions.
-
Supporting
day laborers through a campaign to recover unpaid wages. In the last two years,
LAWP has successfully
reclaimed back pay for 118 day laborers.
-
Addressing
the needs of more than 3,000 workers whose health was affected after they were engaged
without adequate protections in recovery and cleanup efforts related to the
September 11th tragedy. Of those taken ill, 80% of the workers are fully
disabled and 20% are partially disabled.
-
Supporting
the enactment of a city ordinance allowing more than 6,000 street vendors to
apply for and secure vendor licenses.
-
Advocating
successfully for systematic enforcement of laws mandating safe and hazard-free workplaces for employees in the
private sector, including undocumented workers.
We celebrate the leaders and members of the Latin American Workers Project for
their extraordinary achievements and commitment to community organizing. Learn
more about LAWP at www.elptla.org and about CTAC at www.ctacusa.com. |
