Partners

Just Pay for All

The Voice of Low-wage Workers is Heard across Illinois and the Country!

Recognizing the need for coalition work to create systemic change and bringing together expertise in community organizing, advocacy and legal services the Workers Collaborative united with two other worker centers, Latino Union of Chicago and Centro de Trabajadores Unidos as well as the Working Hands Legal Clinic to initiate Just Pay for All.  In 2010, JUST PAY successfully pushed passage of SB3568, which cuts through red tape and adds teeth to enforcement of wage theft claims. As a result of its success in promoting civic participation, developing worker leaders and building public-private partnerships, JUST PAY has emerged as a strong and effective voice for low-wage marginalized workers in Illinois and across the country.

JUST PAY Directors (from right to left), Eric Rodriguez (Latino Union), Leone Jose Bicchieri (CWC), Chris Williams (Working Hands Legal Clinic) and Ana Guajardo (Centro de Trabajadores Unidos) demand the American Bar Association move a lawyers conference from Arizona to a different state in May 2010.

Just Pay brings workers together to create positive change and insure the government responsibly enforces labor laws.

At a community meeting with state officials in October 2010, CWC leader, Ernesto Ordonez, explains how his company has stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from employees with impunity. 

Bert Rodriguez, Assistant Director of the Illinois Labor Department, promises workers to meet with Just Pay and state elected officials to insure that the new wage-theft law, SB3568, is implemented with full vigor to protect workers.

Korean Worker Justice Campaign

CWC partners with the Korean American Resource and Cultural Center (KRCC) to outreach Korean immigrant business owners on U.S. labor law in order to raise standards for immigrant workers. See Chicago Tribune report on this important collaboration (11/09/09).

Latino workers confront Korean laundry owner with demands for minimum-wage pay, break-time, a bathroom with walls, among others. These sorts of clashes led to KRCC/CWC Partnership.

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) has supported CWC's work for the last 8 years. The CCHD is the major anti-poverty, social justice program of the U.S. Council of Bishops.

Labor Unions

CWC collaborates with labor unions to help low-income workers learn their rights and improve their working conditions. United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 881 ; the Illinois AFL-CIO ; and the United Electrical Workers are principal partners among the variety of unions which we collaborate.

Elected Officials

Board Members honor City Clerk, Miguel del Valle, at annual fundraiser. From left to right: Xaiochang Jin, Center for Labor and Community Research; Fr. Brendan Curran, O.P., St. Pius V Parish; Tim Bell, staff; City Clerk del Valle; Augustin Herrera, Worker President; and Martin Unzueta, former staff