Chicago Workers' Collaborative
is an Illinois non-profit organization founded in 2000 that promotes full employment
and equalityfor the lowest wage-earners in the Chicago region
through leadership and skills training, critical assistance and
services, advocacy and collaborative action. CWC has assisted
thousands of economically disadvantaged
immigrants, day laborers and others employed in the contingent
underground workforce to move into the mainstream. We educate about workplace rights, provide critical services to our members, and mobilize to gain full access to employment for all workers, especially immigrants and African Americans.The CWC presently is working on the following initiatives:
-
Collaborating with the Illinois Department of Labor and the Illinois Attorney General's office to improve enforcement of state labor laws.
- Growing the membership of our Chicago, Waukegan and Northwest Suburban Worker Service Centers by providing critical Assistance to our members.
- Aiding our worker members to locate the best legal assistance for employment-related issues.
- Working with law enforcement authorities in arresting the perpetrators and helping the victims of human traffiicking.
- Bringing together African-American and Latino workers to end the criminalization of our people, including Comprehensive Immigration Reform, so we may all work and participate in our community as equals.
Not only does CWC has a long history of assisting temporary workers, but we have also incubated many other
organizing efforts on behalf of low-income workers. In 2007, members of the Workers Collaborative joined together to form
Workers United for Eco Maintenance, a cooperative working to protect
the environment andpromote fair-wage jobs. After several years of incubation/support Eco Maintenance
became an independent business in June 2010. In 2008, the CWC helped to build the leadership of Chicago Street Vendors Association in the struggle to stop
repressive police action and convince the City to adopt an Ordinance
that would enable them to obtain a license to legally prepare and sell food on the street. In 2009, we assisted in the formation of Chicago Community and
Worker Rights (CCWR) which focuses much of
its organizing work on the struggle of the street vendors.
More recently, as part of our initiative to
reach out to African Americans, we are the fiscal sponsor of the Change 4 Good Project which trains ex-offenders in the barbering profession.
