You Raised $23,000 to Stop Wage Theft and Work for Living Wages Through This Year's Faith and Labor Picnic

As you can see from the photo slideshow above, this year's Faith and Labor Picnic was a blast! It was the ultimate party with a purpose. You raised more than $23,000 to help Workers Interfaith Network fight wage theft and campaign for a living wage at the University of Memphis. At this year's Picnic, you:

• Raised critically needed funds to support workers' rights. Despite the tough economy, you raised even more than last year. Scroll down to learn about the specific ways WIN will be putting your Picnic gifts to work.
• Celebrated what you've accomplished as a member of WIN. You got the Shelby County Sheriff and District Attorney to agree to treat certain wage theft cases as criminal offenses, among many other victories.
• Demonstrated the true meaning of Labor Day with other people of faith, workers, and allies who believe in justice in the workplace. This year, 125 of you signed living wage petitions to University of Memphis President Shirley Raines. Click here to sign our online petition.
• Enjoyed great entertainment by Alicia Washington, Valerie June, Marcela Pinilla, and Danza Azteca.
• Ate a lot of food! Approximately 100 of you volunteered at the Picnic by preparing and serving food, selling tickets, making homemade cookies, and helping with kid's activities like the dunk tank, Moon Bounce, and face painting. Thank you!

Here's how WIN will be putting your Faith and Labor Picnic gifts to work:
1) You'll campaign for a living wage with University of Memphis workers.
2) You will partner with workers to recover their stolen wages from employers.
3) You will advocate for new federal wage theft legislation to stop employers from taking advantage of workers.
4) You will train construction workers on how to prevent on-the-job injuries and deaths.

I look forward to seeing you next Labor Day! Want to make sure you get notified about all the plans for next year's Faith and Labor Picnic? Sign up for WIN's email alerts. 

What Did Sheriff Candidates Say About Wage Theft?

On April 29th, Workers Interfaith Network (WIN) held a non-partisan forum for Shelby County Sheriff candidates to discuss the issue of wage theft. Candidates heard presentations from workers, attorneys, union and community organizers about wage theft in our community, including information about a proposal WIN has presented to the current Sheriff Mark Luttrell and District Attorney Bill Gibbons to treat wage theft
as a criminal offense under Tennessee's theft of services law. This proposal is similar to one currently
used by the Austin Police Department.

Candidates were asked to answer two questions:

(1)How will you address wage theft is you are elected Sheriff?

(2) Will you support Workers Interfaith Network's proposal to arrest and prosecute employers who deliberately do not pay workers for their labor, using our state's Theft of Services law?

Larry Hill (D), Randy Wade (D), James Coleman (R), and Bennie Cobb (D) all took part in the forum. You can read a transcription of their remarks on wage theft at our website, as well as previously submittede written statements by Bobby Simmons (R) and Bill Oldham (R) were not able to attend. Reginald French (D) and Dale Lane (R) were not able to attend and did not submit statements.

Wage Theft is a Crime Rally Delivers Results

Last week, WIN members showed once again that you are powerful when we stand together against injustice! More than 40 people rallied at the Shelby County Courthouse, calling on Sheriff Luttrell and District Attorney Gibbons to treat wage theft as a crime.

Jose Leon and Bill Bright of the District Attorney's Office receive more than 1,200 petition signatures on wage theft that you helped collect.

The rally delivered results: Sheriff Luttrell called the day before the rally and agreed to contact Attorney Gibbons to request a joint meeting with WIN to discuss our proposal to criminalize wage theft. At the rally, attorneys Bill Bright and Jose Leon of the District Attorney's office came out to meet the crowd and receive over 1,200 petition signatures that you helped collect. They also indicated they are willing to meet with WIN to discuss our wage theft proposal.

We will keep you posted about developments in the campaign.

Be sure to attend our Sheriff Candidate forum on Thursday, April 29th to make sure that no matter who our next Sheriff is, wage theft is on his agenda! The forum will be held at 6:30 p.m. at St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral, located at 692 Poplar Ave.

The non-partisan forum is open to all candidates for Shelby County Sheriff and all community members. Workers and community members will talk about the crisis of wage theft, and ask candidates for Sheriff how they will address the crisis if elected.

Even if Sheriff Luttrell develops a policy to treat wage theft as a crime before he leaves office, the next Sheriff's actions will determine whether or not the policy is enforced. Show Sheriff candidates just how important this issue is to the community by attending the candidate forum!

View press coverage of last week's rally: A story in The Commercial Appeal and a guest column on wage theft by WIN board member Erika Eubanks.

Learn more about the Wage Theft is a Crime campaign

Help WIN deliver hundreds of wage theft petitions to Luttrell and Gibbons

Mark your calendars for Thursday April 8th and plan to join Workers Interfaith Network at noon at the Shelby County Courthouse. We'll be rallying at the courthouse (140 Adams Ave). to tell Shelby County law enforcement that wage theft is a crime!

More than 1,000 of you have now signed printed and electronic petitions to Sheriff Mark Luttrell and District Attorney Bill Gibbons, calling on them to recognize wage theft as a crime. Now it's time to deliver those petitions and tell these elected officials that workers whose wages are being stolen cannot wait.

Some of you who signed the electronic petition may have gotten a response back from the Sheriff's office that implied a new law would need to be passed it order to treat wage theft as a criminal offense. This is incorrect. Like other communities across the country like Austin, Texas, Shelby County could use our state's Theft of Services law to charge employers who hire workers and then never pay them for their labor.

WIN has also posted answers to a few other frequently asked questions about the Wage Theft is a Crime campaign on our website.

Hope to see you on April 8th! And if you haven't signed the petition yet, there's still time left.