Workshop on Christian faith and immigration June 4th

Are you confused about how our current immigration system works?
Have you wondered why more immigrants don't just "follow the rules" and immigrate legally?
Do you want to explore what Old and New Testament scriptures teach about immigration?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you're invited to "Who is My Neighbor? a Workshop on Christian Faith and Immigration" on Saturday, June 4th from 9 a.m. to noon. The workshop will be held at Mid-South Christian College, 3097 Knight Road. It is sponsored by Christian Memphians for Immigration Reform and Workers Interfaith Network.

At the workshop you'll have the chance to explore the scriptures with other thoughtful Christians, learn more about the immigration process, and discuss possible responses to the challenges of immigration in our country and community.

For more information, contact Lisa Watson (3WatsonsATgmail.com) or Rev. Rebekah Gienapp (rebekahATworkersinterfaithnetwork.org) 

Want to take action with workers seeking justice? Sign up for email action alerts from Workers Interfaith Network at http://www.workersinterfaithnetwork.org/index/involved/subscribe.htm

State Legislative Update: Your Action Still Needed

     Here's your update on worker rights bills in the Tennessee Legislature. Workers still need you to sign a quick petition or make a short phone call on some of these bills.

     While this has been a very tough legislative session, you've shown that when Tennesseans act together, we can stall, and sometimes defeat, bad bills that attack workers' rights.

Taking away teachers' collective bargaining
     This bill takes away the right that Tennessee teachers have had for other 30 years to sit down with school boards to negotiate their wages and working conditions. Educational reform does not have to include taking away teachers' rights.     
Latest update: This bill has passed the Senate and was expected to pass the House yesterday. But a surprise amendment meant the bill has to go back to the Education committee again. This could mean that the votes are not present to pass the bill.                                                                                        
Action needed from you: Sign WIN's petition on change.org which will go to all legislators urging them to oppose this bill.

On March 15th, more than 1,000 Tennesseans raised our voices for workers' rights at the capitol. Your voice is needed again!

Fair raises for state higher education workers
This bill proposes a $2,000 flat dollar pay increase for all state higher education workers, who haven't had a raise in four years.
Latest update: While this bill is unlikely to be acted on, Gov. Haslam has proposed a 1.6% pay increase for state workers. It's important that this cost of living increase be distributed in a fair manner that benefits low wage workers the most. We are urging University of Memphis President Shirley Raines to distribute the raise as an equal dollar amount because this will help low-wage workers' paychecks the most.
Action needed from you: Call President Raines' office at 901-678-2234. Tell her that you are a community member who wants to see all University of Memphis workers earn a living wage. Ask her to take the first step toward the living wage by implementing an equal dollar cost of living increase for all employees.



Repeal of Memphis and Shelby County living wage ordinances
Good news! This bill, which would have invalidated large parts of the living wage ordinances you worked so hard to get passed, has been sent to summer study committee.
Latest update: Bills are often sent to summer study when there is not enough support to pass them. WIN will be monitoring the study committee, but it may be that the bill is not even brought up for discussion over the summer.
Action needed from you: Give yourself a round of applause for stopping this misguided bill that would have lowered workers' wages!

Anti-immigrant Arizona copycat bill
This bill requires that when police have "reasonable suspicion" that a person does not have legal immigration status, that law enforcement verify the person's immigration status. It will undoubtedly lead to racial profiling, and the fiscal note on the bill estimates state and local governments will have to spent nearly $5 million the first year alone to implement the bill.
Latest update: In the House, the bill has been delayed a couple of times in the Finance subcommittee. In the Senate, the Judiciary committee will not consider the bill until their last meeting of the session (probably 2 - 3 weeks from now.) This could be a sign that support for the bill is weakening.
Action needed from you: Our friends at the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition have a petition you can sign in opposition to this bill and other anti-immigrant bills.

Special access to discriminate act
This bill prohibits local governments in Tennessee from telling their contractors not to discriminate against workers because of their sexual orientation. If passed, it will overturn an ordinance just passed a few weeks ago in Nashville which bars discrimination by contractors of Metro Government. All people have the right to work, regardless of their sexual orientation.
Latest update: This bill has passed the House. The Senate State and Local Government was supposed to hear the bill this week, but has delayed it one week.
Action needed from you: Call Sen. Mark Norris, who sits on the State and Local Government committee at (615) 741-1967. Urge him to vote no on SB 632 because it takes away control that local governments should have over their own contracting process.



Want to take action with workers seeking justice? Sign up for email action alerts from Workers Interfaith Network at http://www.workersinterfaithnetwork.org/index/involved/subscribe.htm

Take Action: Urge President Raines to Take First Step To Living Wage

     On April 8th, you rallied for a living wage for all University of Memphis workers. A delegation of leaders from WIN, the United Campus Workers union, and the Progressive Student Alliance delivered more than 1,000 postcards that you signed to President Shirley Raines' office. Dr. David Cox, executive assistant to President Raines, met with the delegation. You can view pictures of the rally on WIN's facebook page. Soon after, President Raines met with several members of the Progressive Student Alliance to talk about the living wage issue.

    We appreciate President Raines meeting with students. Now is the time for the University to take a first concrete step toward a living wage. Please call her and urge her to implement a fair cost of living increase for workers, who haven't had any type of raise in four years.





A delegation of workers, students, and community members delivered
your living wage petitions to President Raines.

  Take Action: Call President Raines' office at 901-678-2234. Tell her that you are a community member who wants to see all University of Memphis workers earn a living wage. Ask her to take the first step toward the living wage by implementing an equal dollar cost of living increase for all employees.

What is an equal dollar cost of living increase?
   State higher education employees have gone without a pay raise, even adjustments to make up for a higher cost of living, for four years. This year, Governor Haslam's proposed budget includes a 1.6% pay raise for all state University employees. This percentage raise would mean a raise of $4,766 for President Raines, but a typical custodial worker would only get a raise of $250.

   An equal dollar cost of living adjustment would distribute funds in a fairer way. For example, all workers might get a $800 cost of living adjustment. While this wouldn't be enough to bring all workers up to a living wage, it would be a first step. And service workers like Emma Davis and Jean Rimmer can certainly find a way to use an extra $800 a year.

If you're told that only the Tennessee Board of Regents can control how pay raises are distributed:
   When you make your phone call, you may be told that President Raines doesn't control how pay raises are doled out. When she met with the Progressive Student Alliance, President Raines said that only the state legislature and the Tennessee Board of Regents could decide to distribute the pay raise as an equal dollar amount, rather than by percentages. That may be true, but if President Raines calls on the Board of Regents to distribute the pay raises in this way, they're very likely to listen to her.

But first, we have to get President Raines to listen to the community, so be sure to make that phone call today!

Want to take action with workers seeking justice? Sign up for email action alerts from Workers Interfaith Network at http://www.workersinterfaithnetwork.org/index/involved/subscribe.htm

A Litany for Tennessee's Workers

   Yesterday I saw the inspiring sight of 1,000 Tennesseans rallying together for good jobs, living wages, and an end to the attack on workers rights.

  I wanted to share with you the litany for workers that Rev. Renee Dillard (St. John's United Methodist, Memphis) and Dr. Herbert Lester (Blakemore United Methodist, Nashville) shared with the crowd. You may want to pray it yourself or share it with your congregation. Now is a critical time for people of faith to both pray and act with workers whose rights are being eroded by our state legislature.

Leader 1: Scripture tells us that whenever workers are abused, God hears their cries for justice.

Leader 2: From ancient times through today, our God breaks the chains of oppression and brings good news to the poor.

Leader 1: When the state of Tennessee pays some workers so little that they remain trapped in poverty,

All: God hears the cries of workers.

Leader 2: When legislators threaten workers' livelihoods by repealing the living wage and upholding discrimination,

All: God hears the cries of workers.

Leader 1: When laws are proposed that would silence teachers' voices,

All: God hears the cries of workers.

Leader 2: When those in power try to push working people out of the political process,

All: God hears the cries of workers.

Leader 1: When the unemployed search long and hard for jobs that have been promised but not delivered,

All: God hears the cries of workers.

Leader 2: When leaders demand sacrifices only from the people who cannot afford to make them,

All: God hears the cries of workers.

Leader 1: When immigrant workers are blamed for an unemployment crisis that they did not cause,

All: God hears the cries of workers.

Leader 2: God's justice compels us to speak and act for the good of everyone in our communities, not just a few, because we know that

All: God hears the cries of workers.

Leader 1: Despite the many forces we face against us, we stand, in trust and confidence, because here and in every place,

All: God hears the cries of workers.

Leader 2: Thanks be to God! Amen.

Want to take action with workers seeking justice? Sign up for email action alerts from Workers Interfaith Network at http://www.workersinterfaithnetwork.org/index/involved/subscribe.htm

Legislators trying to repeal living wage ordinances you won

   You gave countless hours of your time and donated countless dollars of your hard-earned money to make sure the Memphis and Shelby County living wage ordinances passed.

   Now state legislators who don't have a clue about working poverty are trying to repeal the laws you got passed locally.

   We've defeated these kinds of proposals in past legislatures. But make no mistake about it, this will be our toughest battle yet. And I need every one of you to take action to make sure that no worker has to face up to a 43 percent pay cut in this tough economy.

WIN members celebrate the passage of the City's living wage ordinance in 2006.

   The Memphis City Council passed its living wage ordinance in 2006, after years of your activism. It makes sure that the City of Memphis only contracts with businesses that pay living wages.

   After all, why should our City government give away our tax dollars to companies that create poverty jobs? Memphis certainly has enough of those already. In 2007, the Shelby County Commission also passed a living wage ordinance for its contractors.

   These ordinances are a great success. Workers are able to move out of poverty and meet their most basic needs. Neither the City or County has had problems with attracting qualified contractors. In fact, the City Council even expanded its living wage ordinance in 2008 to include the contractors of Memphis Light, Gas, and Water.

    So why are Rep. Glen Casada and Sen. Ketron trying to destroy these laws that are working just fine for Memphis and Shelby County government? They claim that it's just too confusing for companies to have living wage standards to keep up with in some situations and not in others. 

    Do they really expect you to believe that businesses that have to fill out the numerous records involved in becoming a city contractor can't keep up with two different pay rates? For all their talk about protecting businesses, Casada and Ketron must not think businesspeople are very smart.

   And Ketron and Casada must think that Memphis and Shelby County are not capable of running their own governments. The last time I checked, determining who gets local government contracts, and for what reasons, should be decided at the local level. 

   So, what's our plan for action? What can you do to protect the living wage and all the workers who depend on it for survival?

• Sign up for Lobby Day on Tuesday, March 15th in Nashville. We're also joining a big rally for workers' rights at noon on the Capitol Steps South that day. There will be buses coming in to Nashville from several cities.
• If you don't already get WIN's email alerts, sign up now. Bills can move extremely quickly through the legislature, and email is the best way to get alerts about calls that must be made right away.
• Make a gift to Workers Interfaith Network. This will be our toughest struggle yet to protect the living wage, and every dollar will help in the fight.  

   Is it discouraging to have to face legislators from outside Shelby County every year who try to undo the good work we've done? Yes.

   But I find encouragement and hope in Psalm 140:12, which tells us "I know that the Lord maintains the cause of the needy, and executives justice for the poor." May we do the same ourselves.

Want to take action with workers seeking justice? Sign up for email action alerts from Workers Interfaith Network.

Stand up for workers on Lobby Day

In 2004, WIN members like Rev. Jeff Irwin (left) held a lobby day to successfully stop a bill that would have killed our local living wage laws.

   I hope that you'll consider signing up to join the statewide Lobby Day for Living Wages and Good Jobs on March 15th in Nashville. As I wrote yesterday, there are many important worker rights bills - both good and terrible - that state legislators are considering this session. Now is the time to raise your voice!

   If you're not able to join us in Nashville, you can still speak up with workers as state legislators consider critical bills affecting their rights. Just sign up for WIN's email updates, so you'll know the best times to contact legislators about important bills.

    The Tennessee legislature began meeting yesterday and will wrap up in May, so the winter and spring are key times for you to advocate for workers' rights.

   This legislative session could present University workers with the opportunity for a fair raise, after three years of pay freezes. Advocates must also be prepared to defend workers' rights as legislators introduce bills to take away workers' rights to have unions, and bills that encourage racial profiling of immigrant workers.

Why participate in Lobby Day?

    When someone wants to you to do something, an email might work. A phone call or a letter is more likely to get your attention. But what really gets you thinking about the other person's request is a face to face conversation, isn't it?

    It's the same way with our state legislators. The best way to make sure they hear - and respond - to your concerns about workers' rights is to meet with them in person. That's why WIN invites you to join us in Nashville on March 15th with people from all across Tennessee.

March 15th Lobby Day Schedule

    While some details of this schedule may change, the departure and arrival times from Memphis will not change.

5:30 a.m.                 Vans leave midtown Memphis for Nashville.
9:00 - 10 a.m.         Training and roleplays for legislative visits.
10:00 a.m. - noon    Visits to legislators in teams
Noon - 1 p.m.          Rally for living wages and good jobs on capitol steps.
1:00 - 1:45 p.m.      Lunch break (on your own)
1:45 - 3:00 p.m.      Visits to legislators in teams
3:00 p.m.                 Vans leave Nashville for Memphis
7:00 p.m.                Vans arrive in midtown Memphis


    We'll make sure you have all the training and talking points you need to meet with your legislators. The lunchtime rally will be an energizing time to join with people from all across Tennessee who believe our state can do better for workers. Won't you join us?

   Sign up to participate in the March 15th Lobby Day for Living Wages and Good Jobs!

State legislators prepare slew of anti-worker bills

Legislative session also presents opportunity for progress on

living wage for University workers

    The Tennessee Legislature begins its real work today, February 7th. Usually they wrap up their legislative session by mid-May. That means that the winter and spring are key times for you to advocate for workers' rights.

    University workers in Memphis and across the state have endured pay freezes for the past three years. As workloads have mounted and health insurance costs skyrocketed, low-wage workers have struggled to pay their bills.

   The budget passed by legislators could determine whether University workers move a significant step closer to a living wage. But the only way the state budget will include raises for low-wage University workers is if legislators hear from people like you.

  Your action will also be urgently needed to stop a number of anti-worker bills that have been introduced or are planned (legislators have just two weeks from today to introduce all bills for the session.)

   In the last legislative session (2009), a bill was narrowly defeated that would have repealed the local living wage ordinances you worked so hard to establish in Memphis and Shelby County. It is very likely this bill be introduced again this year.

   A number of proposed bills this year attack the rights of public employees, especially teachers, to have a union. One bill takes away teachers' unions ability to negotiate the terms of teachers' employment with boards of education. WIN members like you know that when workers have a voice in workplace decisions through their union, it creates a more stable, productive workplace.

   Worker rights and immigrant rights' advocates are also very concerned about promises by state Sen. Bill Ketron to introduce a state immigration bill similar to Arizon's controversial SB 1070. Such a law would allow local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration law. It would likely lead to racial profiling of Latinos and anyone who police decide seems foreign-born. It could also give employers an incentive to call the police on workers who complain about wage theft or other abuses.

Take Action

1) If you don't get WIN's email action alerts already, sign up now. Once the legislature starts to move, bills can progress very quickly. I'll send you alerts when your urgent action is needed.

2) Tomorrow I'll be posting about how you can participate in the Lobby Day for Living Wages and Good Jobs on March 15th in Nashville.